There is a particular kind of silence that follows a sudden loss. It is not the quiet that comes after a long illness, where grief arrives slowly, rehearsed in hospital corridors and late-night conversations. Instead, it is abrupt, disorienting; a sentence cut off mid-thought. One moment, life is continuing as expected; the next, everything has changed. Within that shock often sits a heavy, persistent feeling that I didn’t get to say goodbye. Photo by Junseong Lee on Unspla

There are few tasks in life as daunting, or as profound, as delivering a eulogy. Standing before a sea of grieving faces, often including your own family, to encapsulate a lifetime of love, memories and personality into just a few minutes of speaking is a monumental ask of anyone. It is an honour, certainly, but it is also an immense pressure and something I always keep in mind when writing a eulogy for my clients. If you have been asked to speak and your immediate reaction w

At least here in the United Kingdom, the way we say goodbye is changing. For centuries, funerals were closely tied to religious traditions, most commonly within the framework of the Church of England or other Christian denominations. As such, the format of a funeral has historically been fairly predictable; a religious service in a church or crematorium chapel, filled with hymns, prayers and the comforting but prescribed words of the clergy. However, as the nation’s relations

Over the last 2 decades or so, social media has engrained itself into every aspect of our lives.... and death. Grief no longer unfolds solely in living rooms, places of worship, or quiet walks through familiar streets. It unfolds on timelines. In group chats. In comment sections. In archived message threads we cannot quite bring ourselves to delete. Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash Like it or not, the internet is no longer just a tool for communication; it has become