Welcome
Welcome to the our Winter newsletter.
Fellow Melbournian’s, here we are in mid-winter. The nights are freezing, and the days are grey. For those of us experiencing grief, it cannot be an easy time. However, in spite of the cold, hopefully you’re also managing to find a few moments outside, soaking up those rare rays of sunshine.
In that spirit, we hope our Winter newsletter offers just a little solace and positivity as you navigate this path of loss and grief.
We found this..
“In the depths of loss, we learn to find,
That grief and healing are intertwined.
With open hearts, we face the pain,
And from the ashes, we rise again.”
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If you’re struggling this article has some good places to look for help. Or this, if you’re in Sydney.
And if you are in urgent need of crisis or grief support, please contact:
- Suicide Line: 1300 651 251
- Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
- Griefline: 1300 845 745
- Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636
Inspiration
The paradox of spending our days in an industry that is focused on death is that it teaches us so much about life. Becoming a part of the late, Shonel Bryant’s story was inspiring.
Shonel Bryant was a remarkable woman. After beating cancer twice, Shonel was given a devastating and rare triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis.
Shonel dedicated her life to raising awareness for breast/pec self-checks through her platform Support Your Girls. Her selflessness and commitment to making the world a better place serve as a shining example for us all.
Before she died, we asked Shonel some questions about her life and her death. You can read our interview with Shonel here.
After her death, we were honoured to take Shonel’s body into our care and ensure her final wishes were executed. Here is a GoFundMe page to help Shonel’s family relieve some of their financial burden.
Legacy Forests
If you are feeling unsure about what to do with the ashes of your loved one, an interesting option could be found at one of Victoria’s Legacy Forests. These are permanent private parks where you can scatter ashes or even plant a tree in memory of your person.
As well as being environmentally friendly, this option gives you a special place to visit, whilst embracing the serenity of the natural environment.
Here is our piece on two legacy forests in Victoria.
Research Project
In May, Kate Morgan, Head of Memorials at Tomorrow, was interviewed for a research project. Anthropology Honours student, Cindy Stocken from University of Melbourne is writing a thesis on ‘how deathcare workers in Melbourne (co) create meaningful end-of-life / funeral rituals.’
It was interesting timing as Kate also recently published this article in our journal, titled “Marking the end of life: The power of ceremony and ritual.” We would love you to have a read and hear your thoughts – especially as you may have recently been involved in a memorial for your own loved one.
Reading
Recently, we came across the work of neurologist, Dr. Lisa M. Shulman. In making sense of her own experience after losing her husband, Shulman wrote, “Before and After Loss: A Neurologist’s Perspective on Loss, Grief, and Our Brain.”
The book is written in part as a memoir, but also dives into the science behind the mind-altering experience of grief.
Purchase it HERE.
The interesting combination of storytelling, insights, education, research, and suggested coping strategies make it an important resource for those wanting to understand how grief impacts the brain.
Our candles
Lighting a candle is symbolic. We strike a match and light the wick for many reasons.
At Tomorrow, after the cremation, we aim to personally hand deliver the ashes. With them, we include our beautiful candle as gift to remember and celebrate the life of your beloved person.
You can read more about the our candles here.
Your personal experience
If you would like to share your experience of loss, grief or what it was like creating a memorial with Tomorrow, we would be very happy to publish your letters (or a part of them,) in a future newsletter, anonymously.
Your experience may assist others. Plus journaling is known as a helpful personal practise.
For now, we will share this Google Review we felt very lucky to receive in June.
“We were so lucky to find Kate and Tomorrow Funerals. Like most people in these situations, you have to deal with all the things that are unimaginable just days before. We looked at some of the large franchises and then found Tomorrow Funerals and read the reviews, and they all resonated with us and thankfully turned out to be true. Kate was just incredibly considerate, kind and importantly very professional. Seemingly always available for the myriad of questions and guided us through an incredibly traumatic time. Thanks Kate I couldn’t recommend you and your business highly enough and thank you from all our friends and family for all your support.”
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If you wish to add your own review, we would greatly appreciate it. As a young business it makes a huge difference to new families who are thinking about working with us.
CLICK HERE to write a review for Tomorrow.
If you enjoyed reading this and want to read our past edition, here is the Autumn newsletter.
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