Introduction
A funeral photo book is an integral part of my service as it is a memento, it can be part of the healing process, it lets family and friends overseas see the funeral and it is rich in its imagery.
Funeral photo books are not restricted to photos and can include eulogies, poems, family trees, favourite songs and photos of the loved one during their life.
Funeral photo books are 8″ x 8″ so they are small enough to fit in a hand bag and come with a protective cover.
Families can order additional copies of the book. One family ordered fourteen copies of the book to give to each great-grand child so they could remember their great grandmother.
The healing process of funeral photo books
Selecting images for the funeral photo book gives a bereaving family a purpose. Choosing images from your loved one’s past, deciding which eulogies will go into the book are all part of being actively involved in the funeral photo book design and this activity can be very healing. So often the actual day of the funeral goes by in a whirl and there is no time for reflection.
Reflection
One woman said she had only just got around to looking at the funeral photo Book months after the funeral because she hadn’t felt strong enough to look at it. She said it was wonderful to see what had actually gone on during the actual service and wake and how precious the book was for her.
Bringing families together
One family member told me the funeral photo book had helped heal the rift between the extended family; the simple process of having the two families in the one book had an impact and began the slow process of encouraging communication.
Being active heals
Once a widow asked to if she could include an image of her husband and friends a year before he died.
I welcomed her suggestion as I want families to understand it is their book. You can put in whatever images you want. If there is a photo of your loved one from their youth, or a place they loved visiting, all these can be included and add to the book’s rich texture. All the family had taken ownership of the book and, in doing so, had made it part of their healing process.