Shine Freely - A resource for memorial service design and memorial service planning.

About

Shine Freely is a succinct resource for those seeking to design a personal, celebratory and interactive memorial service. Shine Freely contains creative, adaptable innovations to acknowledge the unique gifts, abilities and contributions of a life powerfully lived. It is for those who seek to honor a life invested in ethics and values without, necessarily, a specific church affiliation. It is for those who moved previous rites of passage from the institution to the beach, forest or backyard, and for those who enjoyed the innovation. Shine Freely is for those who feel the status quo has gotten too complicated. It is the intent of Shine Freely to assist you in incrementally reinventing the memorial service into a more satisfying alternative, worthy of the person being remembered.

Shine Freely may be adapted indoors or out, for a small group or large. It may be used with one person facilitating, several working together, or a group that works best if each individual develops his or her own contribution to the memorial service.

Shine Freely suggests strategies to connect the experiences and memories of the individuals present to the shared knowledge of the group. It allows for the memory of the individual to be comprehensively celebrated and for the legacy of the individual to be both gifted back and ongoing.

It may be welcome relief, but also inherently stressful, to diverge from the norm, especially when you are planning a public event with little prior experience. It may be a challenge to have the confidence to try something new when this is your one opportunity to create a meaningful experience. You may use Shine Freely as incrementally as is practicable, whether you seek small innovations or a more ambitious, energetic experience, in creating a memorial service.

Testimonials

“My mother passed away at age 94 in February of 2006. We did have a memorial. However, access to “Shine Freely” would have made the “Celebration of Life” much easier to organize during a time of great emotional stress. I would especially recommend Postcards, Theatre, and Conversation.”
  - Reverend Neil Agron

The need for your alternatives is acute.
  - Robin Eckert, M.D.