Red bud, IL Funeral Homes | Funeral Services

Death and its accompanying rites, which Illinois funeral homes fully understand, are part of life. Together they join birthdays, anniversaries, promotions and graduations as celebrations of life. They are also rituals. We embrace these happy events. Yet, we have a tendency to try to avoid thinking about another very important ritual in our lives - funerals. We place this in a different category.
What is a Ritual?
Rituals are symbolic actions generally enacted in public. They may be a rite of passage such as baptism, weddings or birthdays. They serve several purposes:

• Bring and bind us together with our family and friends
• Communicate our deepest feelings and thoughts about life's most significant occasions
• Affirm specific commonalities among a group or culture
• Honor the reaching of a specific mile stone in life

In the performance of a ritual, the actions and activities follow a set or specific pattern. They provide comfort to the individual and the groups as a whole since they reflect continuity.
Funerals as Rituals
A funeral is a ritual by the above definition. It is symbolic, traditional and public. Illinois, funeral services form part of an expressive means for dealing with death. They represent the past and a group or individual's culture or philosophy on this rite of passage.
As important, a funeral helps the group and its members to recognize the reality that is the death of a member. It also:

• A statement of the deceased's life
• It encourages everyone to express their grief - within the accepted cultural and symbolic guidelines of the funeral
• Provides community support for the mourners
• Allows the participants to embrace the cultural explanation and religious beliefs (not always present since many, including Illinois funeral services, may be secular)
• Presents the living with a sense of hope
• Offers continuity for those left behind

A significant part of funeral rituals is mourning. It forms a significant part of any grieving process. It is important that you realize this and draw on all forms of support, including available Illinois funeral services.
Illinois Funeral Homes and Meaningful Mourning
In many ways, current modern North American cultures have forgotten or laid aside the necessity of mourning. Meaningful mourning is part of the process of any funeral. In fact, it fulfills some very crucial purposes, including acknowledging the reality of a death in our family or among our friends.
This is the principle need for mourning, but it is not the only reason why. You need only go online to seek information before you realize why Illinois funeral homes and others across the United States, North America and Europe consider meaningful mourning to be a necessary part of the entire process.
By openly accepting the death of a loved one and acknowledging it to be the final act of their life with us, we are preparing ourselves for the future. We are taking a step forwards into the future - away from grief and loss. It all begins, first, with the acknowledgement of grief and pain.
With meaningful mourning, we embrace the pain the loss incurs. We may even wallow in it temporarily. By holding tight to the pain and grief, we allow ourselves to express how we feel - to admit to ourselves the hurt and pain that the loss has caused our family, our friends and us. As friends, the process of meaningful mourning lets us admit, publicly, among those of a similar view, how much the deceased meant. Thus, meaningful mourning can be cathartic to all who attend the ritual of perhaps of traditional or even alternative Illinois funeral services.

Meaningful Mourning and Support

It is now possible to receive support from a variety of sources including Illinois funeral homes. Yet, the best support anyone can offer comes from family and friends. Funerals are public outpourings of support. They are a form of "group hug." Depending upon what type of service the family, friend or caregiver decides upon, the support can come from a small, close-knit group or from a larger community. Consider the difference between a private funeral conducted for the immediate family by any North American city entity, including Illinois funeral homes, and the funerals held for state figures such as the late Princess Diana. Both types of service provide family and close friends support. When the venue is larger, the family extended to include those who were friends and/or knew the individual deceased, the support for everyone concerned is palpable.
Meaningful mourning needs to become a part of even the most unconventional Illinois funeral services. Funerals allow us to physically demonstrate our sense of loss and display our support. In a society where touching, hugging and embracing have restrictions, funerals permit us to shake these strictures. We can embrace, touch and express our desire to provide comfort in a physical fashion. It is a means of telling someone we care when words are no longer adequate. We can help you plan an Illinois funeral service. Contact us 24/7 for assistance.