Grief Rituals

Grief rituals can help with honoring a loved one’s memory and can be a powerful comfort to a bereaved individual. Rituals can help maintain the connection with a deceased loved one, create meaning for the loss and foster healing and peace. No one ritual will work for everyone – even in the same family. It is important for individuals to create a ritual that will have the most meaning and healing for them.

 Some ideas that have been helpful are:

• Buy a special candle and light it at times that are special to honor your loved one’s memory (birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day).
• Create a scrapbook to give to someone in the family or to share memories.
• Plant a tree or shrub in memory of your loved one.
• Make a donation to a loved one’s favorite charity.
• Offer a scholarship in a loved one’s name.
• On birthdays, holidays or other special days buy your loved one a gift and donate it to an agency, hospital, nursing home.
• Have/serve a loved one’s favorite recipe/food. 
• Visit/take flowers to a loved one’s grave. 
• Place a single flower in a bud vase in a prominent place in the person’s memory.
• Encourage children to draw pictures or create gifts that remind them of the person.
• Have a birthday party on his/her birthday.
• Write a letter or note to your loved one.
• Have a “memory gathering” where everyone shares pictures and favorite stories.