Lately, due to COVID-19 many families end the obituary for their loved one with a simple note: “A Memorial will be held at a later date.”

This statement holds out hope for the future when families plan to gather and celebrate the life of the person who passed.

However, how do we keep our promise to come together at a later date? Maybe the best way forward is to simply pick a date and put it on the calendar. Putting a memorial date on the calendar today will help you keep your promise to give your loved one the Celebration of Life so richly deserve.

How should we pick a meaningful date for the Celebration of Life?

One obvious date to plan a memorial may be the anniversary of your loved one’s passing. But, that’s likely close to an entire year away.  Perhaps many relatives and friends would rather pick a significant date from within the life of the deceased, such as their birthday or their wedding anniversary, or the day they achieved a major milestone in life. Or perhaps a significant date in the life of their most significant other could work, say, the day a spouse may have pre-deceased them.

Families could also pick a date from a religious calendar that was meaningful to the deceased. For example, using an example from the Christian calendar, families may consider Good Friday or maybe the first Sunday of Advent.  Families without a faith tradition could consider Canadian Thanksgiving in October or Family Day in February. Both days may provide an excellent spot on the calendar to celebrate your loved one who passed during COVID-19.

Last but not least, there’s never a “good” time or a “bad” time to celebrate a life well lived. Everybody processes the passing of a loved one in his or her own way.