How to Write an Obituary

Virtual Support

Light a Virtual Candle

Virtual memorials have been available as a subliminal way of celebrating a loved one’s life. Virtual memorials have been bringing family, friends a venue for the expression of feelings that might not otherwise be possible due to geographical distance.

But since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, rituals and practices associated with mourning have shifted dramatically. Virtual memorials have become commonplace for the vast majority of individuals, families, and communities to express grief and share support after a death. Some may decide not to take on the extra cost and effort even when in-person rituals are available.

Virtual memorials bring members of family, friends, and communities closer together for support. They also provide a venue for the expression of feelings that might not otherwise be possible due to many factors, such as travel or caring for a young family or elderly, that may not allow one to attend a funeral. Yet, a virtual memorial provides for everyone to commemorate and memorialize the individual regardless of one’s inability to attend physically.

Encourage contributors to submit content that shares memories of personal interactions with the deceased. Suggest contributors offer expressions explaining their experiences with and connection to the deceased. Some contributors may choose artistic or expressive ways of sharing their relationship and feelings about the deceased. This may include poems, drawings, or other artistic creations. Others may wish to share tributes or legacy statements about the deceased, including descriptions of the person’s achievements and lasting contributions.

It is helpful for the virtual memorial to be maintained and used as a remembrance of your loved one’s life. Many virtual memorials remain a way for loved ones to stay connected to their person, using them for journaling weeks, months, even years after a death. Others may share the URL on a decedent’s anniversary, asking friends and family to contribute by sharing additional memories, and they do so yearly.

Here at HealGrief, you can even light virtual candles and have them linked to your loved one’s memorial. And at HealGrief, we remember your loved one, lighting a candle on every birthday and date of death in the remembrance of their life.