Why Funerals Matter: A Personal Story

I am writing this post from the Oklahoma Panhandle, after a very long drive from my home in Kansas City. Our family is gathering to celebrate the life of my grandmother, who died early Sunday morning. We last made this trip just a few short months ago, following the death of my grandfather – her husband of more than sixty years. I really miss them both.

My grandparents both had long and healthy lives, and they had good deaths, too, surrounded by loved ones, with plenty of time to say goodbye. Even as their lives ended well, though, they still have left behind a huge hole. My mom and aunt and uncles aren’t “the kids” anymore; now they are the oldest generation in our family. The family farm, that place that was really inseparable from my grandparents, will never be quite the same. We will miss their presence at countless future family gatherings, just as we are missing them at this week’s family event.

It’s kind of weird, actually.

I definitely feel sad that my grandparents are now gone, but another feeling that comes along with this is, well, weirdness. It’s weird to think that my grandma won’t be at lunch tomorrow. It’s weird to go to their home and not have them there to greet us. It was weird for my mom to make the drive down here, think that she needed to call Grandma to let her know how far away she was, and then remember that Grandma wouldn’t be there to receive the update.

Starting to deal with that weirdness is one of the reasons we need funerals. Bereavement expert William Worden identified four tasks of grief, which people work through at different times in different ways. One task is to accept the reality of the loss. When we gather for a funeral, when we view our loved one’s remains, when we meet at our loved one’s graveside – all of these are ways to help us acknowledge the finality, the reality of the loss of our loved one. Funerals help us to accept the reality of the loss.

Another task is to adjust to a world without the deceased. Coming together for the funeral is helping us start this process, too, as we remember not to call Grandma from the road and we take a family picture without her. I think this task may take longer for me and for my family. Still, funerals help us to start adjusting to a world without our loved one.

Funerals can be painful and awkward, sometimes too soon for starting emotional processing, and sometimes logistically really difficult to attend. Sometimes they are just the first step in a long process of grieving. But they do matter. That’s why I’m in Oklahoma today.

9 Comments

  1. Results AZ WELL Partners on July 10, 2013 at 11:38 am

    Thanks for supportively voicing this ‘transitioning’ message for others during your time of loss. Your values, commitment & your strength of character is soundly conveyed here … through your compassionate thoughts, words & actions. I appreciate this.

    • soundscapemusictherapy on July 10, 2013 at 8:25 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Jay.

  2. Leslie Meadows on July 10, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    Rachelle,

    I am so sorry for your loss. Thinking of you as you celebrate your grandmother’s importance in your family

    Leslie

    • soundscapemusictherapy on July 10, 2013 at 8:24 pm

      Thank you so much, Leslie.

  3. Ginny on July 11, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    Rachelle, I can relate so well. And you are right, it will take a while to adjust. I cannot tell you how long it took me because, sometimes, I still think I should call my grandmother (who passed away 3 years ago). The hardest was the first time I wanted to call and check on a recipe. Please let me know if I can offer you support.

    • soundscapemusictherapy on July 11, 2013 at 4:24 pm

      Thank you so much, Ginny.

  4. Mary Ann Barton on July 13, 2013 at 9:45 am

    Rachelle, thank you for your thoughtful words. May you and your family find comfort today. As Donna Thomson of The Caregivers’ Living Room says, “I know from my Dad’s death that we need our parents to hold us in their arms the most during the moments and days after we bury them.”

    • soundscapemusictherapy on July 13, 2013 at 1:01 pm

      Thank you, Mary Ann.

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