The original purpose of THIS site is to help folks consider how to deal with grief and provide insights on how to do a funeral service that highlights the unique character of the one being celebrated.:
If you are Looking for a Funeral Celebrant? I'm certified by Insight Institute.
Contact me by email at:
[email protected]
or
check Facebook.com/GaryDoesFunerals.
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This site is for folks dealing with grief and loss. The tabs above will offer an overview of what's here.
U-LO-G began as an attempt to ease the pain of grief by making appropriate information available online. I hope you'll read some of the short stories here -- True stories about Real people. But you may be here for instructions on how to "do a memorial service yourself." For that try the Instructions page.
Grief is tough.
Grief follows loss.
The loss may result from the death of a loved one, job loss, the end of a relationship -- even a move away from the familiar.
And nobody's grief is exactly like any other.
All that to say, your situation is unique. And there's no one else quite like you. If you feel like you're going crazy, let me ask this: "After a loss like yours, why wouldn't you be a little crazy?"
Your world has changed. Your links are not the same. I hope you have friends who support you through this time. And I hope these pages can help, too.
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Time passes bringing new events – both good and bad. And those of us who have been touched by loss wonder how the rest of the world can keep going as if nothing ever happened.
We all wish we had answers for tragic events or at least some comforting words to share. But there are no magic words. There is no magic wand. The grief process is tiring--and it takes time. I've learned that when children are taken from us there is a special need to find ways to make their memories live on and acknowledge the value and meaning of their lives. God has provided what we need to make it through something like this --
We need each other.
We need hugs and tears and times for silence.
Our complacency has been shattered.
Personal note added January 23, 2012
These themes are personal.
This section is for me but you're welcome to read it.
Our Sweet Boy . . .
I do hope that the information available here can help. Really . . . I use it myself.
Back in November of 2010, our grandson began his battle with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). His younger sister donated her bone marrow for his first transplant. His mom gave him some of her NK cells during a study at St Jude's hospital. She has also been keeping family and friends updated through Caring Bridge. Caring Bridge is a genuine blessing to families going through illness. If you haven't heard of them before, take a few minutes to visit the official Caring Bridge site. Family members can easily post information on their free personalized pages. This allows the family to keep friends informed. And folks don't feel like they are intruding. This was especially helpful for us because Liam's ability to fight infection was so low that he had to be in an isolation unit. Friends were not allowed to visit.
Liam had his first bone marrow transplant at Cook Children's hospital in Fort Worth, TX. Since Fort Worth is only a few hours from Abilene, friends were able to visit and encourage. Liam received a second bone marrow transplant at St Jude Hospital in Memphis, TN. This one came from an unrelated donor. For more information on becoming a bone marrow donor, please visit The National Marrow Donor Program. In our case the leukemia returned a second time. The family returned to Abilene and Liam received care from a local hospice.
We have been blessed by prayers and other expressions of concern from folks all over the world. One blessing was the Habitat for Hope (HfH) near Millington, TN. HfH provided free housing for families seeking treatment for a child with a serious illness. The Horrocks family provided a fully furnished apartment in their home. The housing at St Jude is limited to 4 people per unit. When grandparents are involved we've got as many as 6 in the house so HfH was a blessing. The house is about 20 minutes from the hospital. Since it is in "the woods," the grounds provide a "naturally" soothing setting.[This ministry is no longer active].
While hospitalized in Ft. Worth, Liam recognized that he had many things to be thankful for and that there were lots of kids in the world who didn't even have enough food to eat. His first idea was to send bananas for the kids who needed food. His dad cautioned that might pose some transport problems. In looking for a way to help he learned that many kids don't even have clean water. At his request, friends donated to The Water Project and 2 water wells have been dug to provide water for kids in Western Kenya (Liam's dad has two cousins who were born in Kenya). One of the wells provides water for Emanyala hospital and the other provides the H2O for Eshiamboko school. To continue this effort Liam opened a new project called Liam's Friends and the total is now 11 wells and 8 other projects. (5/5/2022)
Back in November of 2010, our grandson began his battle with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). His younger sister donated her bone marrow for his first transplant. His mom gave him some of her NK cells during a study at St Jude's hospital. She has also been keeping family and friends updated through Caring Bridge. Caring Bridge is a genuine blessing to families going through illness. If you haven't heard of them before, take a few minutes to visit the official Caring Bridge site. Family members can easily post information on their free personalized pages. This allows the family to keep friends informed. And folks don't feel like they are intruding. This was especially helpful for us because Liam's ability to fight infection was so low that he had to be in an isolation unit. Friends were not allowed to visit.
Liam had his first bone marrow transplant at Cook Children's hospital in Fort Worth, TX. Since Fort Worth is only a few hours from Abilene, friends were able to visit and encourage. Liam received a second bone marrow transplant at St Jude Hospital in Memphis, TN. This one came from an unrelated donor. For more information on becoming a bone marrow donor, please visit The National Marrow Donor Program. In our case the leukemia returned a second time. The family returned to Abilene and Liam received care from a local hospice.
We have been blessed by prayers and other expressions of concern from folks all over the world. One blessing was the Habitat for Hope (HfH) near Millington, TN. HfH provided free housing for families seeking treatment for a child with a serious illness. The Horrocks family provided a fully furnished apartment in their home. The housing at St Jude is limited to 4 people per unit. When grandparents are involved we've got as many as 6 in the house so HfH was a blessing. The house is about 20 minutes from the hospital. Since it is in "the woods," the grounds provide a "naturally" soothing setting.[This ministry is no longer active].
While hospitalized in Ft. Worth, Liam recognized that he had many things to be thankful for and that there were lots of kids in the world who didn't even have enough food to eat. His first idea was to send bananas for the kids who needed food. His dad cautioned that might pose some transport problems. In looking for a way to help he learned that many kids don't even have clean water. At his request, friends donated to The Water Project and 2 water wells have been dug to provide water for kids in Western Kenya (Liam's dad has two cousins who were born in Kenya). One of the wells provides water for Emanyala hospital and the other provides the H2O for Eshiamboko school. To continue this effort Liam opened a new project called Liam's Friends and the total is now 11 wells and 8 other projects. (5/5/2022)
Liam's battle with Leukemia ended on January 17, 2012. But he continues to touch lives . . .
Additional Liam stories were published by the Abilene ReporterNews and the Christian Chronicle but are no longer available online.
Additional Liam stories were published by the Abilene ReporterNews and the Christian Chronicle but are no longer available online.
Photo by Velma Barker
