Coping with the Pain of Losing a Close Family Member
It might be your sister, dad or spouse, but losing a close family member is a truly devastating experience for most of us. Once the initial shock has passed, many try to find a way to commemorate that person in the form of a lasting tribute that will allow the memory to live on. People used to create these tributes in the home or at the cemetery, but today's technology has allowed many to design virtual memorials that can be viewed and appreciated by friends and family members around the globe.
While the person who died might have been particularly close to you, there will be many others who will mourn the passing as well. By creating a virtual tribute over the Internet, these people can visit the website and spend time reminiscing with the photos and text that they find there. Most of these sites will also allow visitors to leave their names and a message to add to the memorial. It is a beautiful way for friends and family to come together to remember someone that they all held dear.
How to Set up a Virtual Memorial
Setting up a virtual memorial is not a difficult process and it can usually be done from the privacy of your home. The first step is to select a website that provides this service, and find out exactly what is included in your virtual memorial. Some sites will allow you to set up a very basic memorial free of charge. This might include a text box where you can write about your family member, and a guest book where others can sign in and leave their comments. The sites can also be edited whenever you like, so that you can keep your tribute up to date.
Other memorials will provide images and photos, and some will even allow you to post a slide show on the site. This is a nice touch, since you can provide a chronology of the person's life or add pictures of special events that you want to remember. This tribute can then be added to by people who come to the site and add their own recollections and stories about the individual. As the virtual memorial grows, it becomes a valuable family heirloom that can be passed down through the generations to help those that come after remember this very special person in your family.
If a website like this is not for you, you can also create a MySpace account to commemorate the person. This is also a place that friends and family from around the globe can visit and enter their condolences and thoughts about the person who has passed. You can keep this website updated with current information, and allow the tribute to grow as others enter their contributions.
The death of a family member is a difficult experience to cope with, but creating a lasting memorial online can help you to work through your loss constructively and beautifully.
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