Wake

Grand Canyon: Courtesy of pdphoto.org

Ah, the party. Party doesn’t seem like the right word but neither should it be a somber occasion. It is not a mourning of a death but a celebration of a life lived well and a soul that has moved on to a better place. Try and pick the theme of the event to be something symbolizing you. Leave some guidelines to help people toast those parts of your life that you want them to remember. You may want to gather some of your art or other items and box them up to be used at the wake. Leave your favorite copy of dogs playing poker for another time and place. Stay here with us and we will be discussing details of the wake on this blog as time passes.

Be respectful:

I know with some events in our society, we have to play one-upmanship with everyone else. All you have to do is look at the current trends in weddings and high school proms to see this. You also can’t take it with you so spending it on your wake isn’t a bad thing at all. While, it is certainly okay to do something really creative, please do it will a little class. You probably don’t want to be remembered like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddy Shack.

Food and Drink:

There can be many variations on food and drink. Some people prefer to bring their own and others hire out caterers. Food can match the theme of your gathering or simply be appetizers. At least have some kind of finger food because it gives people a chance to do something with all that nervous energy they have. Guests tend to be very uncomfortable around the subject of death because it reminds us of our own fears and mortality. An open bar is always a nice thing to request for your wake if you select a location where it is permissible. I suggested to my father-in-law that he have ice cream when my mother-in-law died because every meal I ever ate with her ended with her eating ice cream. Think about what food fit your life and select something that celebrates your memory.

Location:

For the nature lover, an outdoor venue might be your selection. In Bristol, there is a nice lodge at the city park overlooking the mountains and the lake. For the nature lover, an outdoor venue might be your selection. An art lover might pick their favorite gallery. In Bristol, there is a nice lodge at the city park overlooking the mountains and the lake. There are a lot of restaurants in tourist areas overlooking a nice view that would be an appropriate place to remember a loved one. If you really wanted to splurge a little you could rent a mountain cabin. In my opinion, small intimate places are more conducive to sharing life memories than a large public place. An exception would be the skywalk over the Grand Canyon. This would be a great place to celebrate your first step into the afterlife.