Dealing with the Anniversary of a Death

Many people celebrate anniversaries when it comes to weddings, birthdays, and many other instances. But the first year after a loved one has passed on in North Miami, FL funeral home can be rather tough and almost everyone is unprepared for the way the date will affect them. After a loved one is cremated and the final services are complete, families start to establish a new normal and a new way of life. The anniversary of the loved one’s death can creep up on them fast and the feelings they had when the person first passed on can come back in a rush. As someone who knows the person in grief, what can you do to help them through that anniversary date? Here are a few ideas.

Write a Nice Letter

People don’t often get letters in the mail any longer. It’s all bills and ads, right? So if you write a letter to your friend and talk about how you feel and perhaps remember their loss, it can be cathartic for them. They know they are not alone and that someone else remembered their loved one’s death as well.

Honor Them

Keeping the memories alive can help your friend move on. You could do something for the anniversary of the passing such as plant a tree; get a plaque in their name on a bench in a park they liked, or some other memorial item that will keep their memory alive. It’s been a year, but they aren’t being forgotten. That can help the anniversary be very meaningful.

Host a Meal

Gather family members and close friends of the person who passed on during the anniversary of their death and allow them to reminisce and enjoy one another’s company. Provide their favorite dishes and have photo albums out so everyone can laugh, cry, tell stories, and heal together.

Make a New Tradition

The anniversary of the person’s death is going to come around every year. For some families, it is nice to do the same thing every year on that date to memorialize their loved one. Perhaps one family will want to visit the site where the ashes were distributed after cremation. Another family might visit the grave site. There are even those who order takeout food and watch their loved one’s favorite movie. There are no wrong answers, but it’s nice to have a set time and tradition to remember the person who passed on.

If you need ideas on what you can do for someone you know who is approaching the anniversary of the death of someone very important to them, contact Ferdinand Funeral Homes & Crematory at 305-631-0001 and we can help. We’re a funeral home that specializes in cremations as well as traditional burials. But we don’t bow out of families’ lives once the final services are over. We’re here to help every step of the way and we understand how important the first anniversary can be. We’re located at 2546 SW 8^th St. Miami, FL 33135.