Spring is the perfect time to refresh and renew. It is a season of rebirth and gratitude. It is a wonderful time to recognize and remember a loved one we may have lost from some darker days in the past.
Memorializing a loved one helps keep them alive in our hearts and minds. It can help us move forward in new and different ways. It can help transform sadness into hope and help demonstrate our love and respect.
Here are five ideas you can implement to help memorialize a loved one this spring:
1. Plant a Garden or Tree
Create a special area around your home or in your yard for a tribute tree or flower garden.
You can acquire a sapling from the Arbor Day Foundation or perhaps make a significant donation to have a reforested grove planted in their memory.
Choose plants with meaningful characteristics that may demonstrate love, generosity, or strength. Add meaningful elements to the area, like a small statue or other personal item, to help memorialize the person. You could even add a small plaque.
If there are any plants or cuttings left from funeral arrangements, this could be a perfect home for them.
2. Purchase and Dedicate a Bench in Their Honor
A bench is a terrific place to relax, reflect, and remember. It is also a fitting way to honor the life of someone who appreciated the outdoors.
Benches are fitting for parks, playgrounds, along bike or walking trails, on hospital grounds, or at nursing homes and retirement centers. Reach out to these or local service organizations to see if any bench programs exist and what parameters should be followed.
Consider a plaque on the bench that features the name of the loved one who dedicated the bench and important dates. You could even include a pertinent or favorite saying or quote.
The bench will provide a place for you to reflect individually or even as a gathering place for special dates or occasions.
3. Place a Garden Stone
Garden stones are a simple and respectful way to pay tribute to a loved one. They can often be found at nurseries and garden centers in a variety of shapes and materials. Many are concrete that have been poured into molds that may feature angels, an American flag, or other images.
They can be personalized with engravings, inscriptions, or even through an attached plaque. They can be placed outside in a garden or near a walkway or even inside the home.
4. Create a Community Garden
Reach out to your community to explore the possibility of taking any unused or unimproved lot or outdoor space and converting it into a community garden. This is a space that can serve to honor a loved one while providing an area for peace and reflection. Make sure you have a plan for regular upkeep.
This is also a space that can be used for gatherings during special dates. Involve family and friends in creating and maintaining the space, and invite them to utilize it on their own.
5. Visit, Refresh, and Decorate the Gravesite
Spring is the perfect time to visit the gravesite of a loved one to see how it has endured the winter. At the same time, make plans to spruce up and even decorate the gravesite for spring. Be sure to follow any guidelines the cemetery may have regarding decorations that are left behind.
If you are in search of a funeral home or cremation services in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati areas, we invite you to reach out to us at Fare J. Radel Funeral Homes and Crematory. We provide multiple convenient locations throughout the region and operate Greater Cincinnati’s only privately-owned crematorium. We have been serving families in the area for over 125 years and would be honored to serve you.
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