Remembering Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death

Remembering Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death

By: Sarah York  

Buy it now at Amazon.com!

Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

The real-life stories, examples, and practical guidelines in this book address a wide array of important issues, including the difficult decisions that survivors must make quickly when a death occurs-and the sensitive topic of family alienation, where possibilities for healing, forgiveness, and hope are explored. The invaluable insights offered here will help those who grieve to prepare mind and spirit for life's final rites of passage.

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Customer Review: 2 out of 5
Rituals for celebrating life - Somewhat disappointed with the overabundance of examples that overpowered balance with recommended points covering how to write an eulogy. Some of the points could be extracted from the extensive examples. At the time of mourning and of preparations for ceremonies and interment, one needs less counseling, fewer examples, and more facts on how to do. This book seems to be sort of an autobiography of the ministerial work of the author.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A beautiful book that will help you deal with a loved one's death - This is really a 10 star book. There's nothing like it.

After my Mom died, in an attempt to make sense of her death and move on with my own life, I read many books on mothers and daughters, grieving, and death. This is the best one I found.

I think Sarah York's Remembering Well will help you if you are struggling to cope with the loss of someone you've loved deeply.
It won't take away your pain, but will help you feel your loss, celebrate your loved one, grieve, mourn, and cope all at the same time. I didn't really think a book could provide such comfort. Buy it. It's a wonderful book!

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Remembering Well - I felt this was a very interesting book, gave lots of different examples and possible choices for solving issues.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Memories... - Death is one of the most traumatic experience in our lives. Even the deaths of strangers affects us in unusual, sometimes unpredictable ways. The death of those close to us, family and friends, can leave us with questions, emotions and emptiness hard to comprehend. Yet, there are ways to deal with these; religion has rituals, families have traditions, cultures have cycles, allowances and expectations, yet we still need more.

This book by Sarah York puts an order to the chaos. Written primarily for those in caring professions (pastors and priests, health-care workers, etc.) or even for those who have expectation for the approaching death of friends or family members, the book can be rewarding to any reader, as death is one of the facts of life we will all face in a myriad of ways.

York infuses her discussions with her personal experiences as well as professional experiences. She talks about the various ways in which religion looks to care for the departed as well as those left behind, in terms of memorials, committals, and other services. She also looks at the emotional and relationship aspects, both when family and friends are close-knit as well as when there are distances and estrangements.

Through stories of people, York teaches and guides by example. She shows the specifics of how to help in the case of a suidice, the death of an infant, a death due to illness, and more. She helps to show how to carve out a space for the family and friends, the wider community, and for the presence of God in the midst of sometimes bewilderingly tragic situations.

The final chapter looks at the 'seasons of grief' -- some religions, such as Judaism, have prescribed patterns or rituals to follow for up to a year after the death; in fact, the death of a person stays with us for the rest of our lives, and the more significant the relationship, the more significant that season can be, and more long-lasting in daily life and functioning. While the specific rituals of Judaism cannot appropriately be used out of context of the community and hold the same meaning, the pattern of activity and the pastoral/psychological way in which they function can be easily adapted.

York offers three sections of resources, which make this book practical and useful. Prayers, readings, blessings, service forms, even the idea for a 'no-memorial wanted' practice serves to stimulate ideas for the creative and meaningful way in which observe and remember.

York's final story in the epilogue is very touching, an almost concrete way of showing how we carry forward those who have passed away in our own lives.

This is a stunning book, thoughtful and sensitive, useful and prayerful. My life has been enriched simply through the reading of this text; it will be even more enriched when the times come that they guide my practices and my experiences.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
An essential book for anyone who has to create a funeral - Sarah does an amazing job of giving guidelines and suggestions for creating truely meaningful memorials and funerals.

The fact that she is a Unitarian Universalist minister makes the materials in this book appropriate for use by a wide range of religions.

The book is especially helpful to those of us who have no formal clergy training but need to create funerals / memorials.

--> Find out more about "Remembering Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death" at Amazon.com or Order Now