Letters - 17 February 2017
From empowering funerals to Green Belt policy
Empowering funerals
I come from a large family, but my husband and I are the only Quakers. My parents attended for a couple of years and then stopped. As my mum was going downhill with cancer she was clear that she did not want a Quaker funeral: ‘Just have a party, darlings.’
But we needed more.
We had a marquee put up in the garden in November and my sister’s husband, Dave, who is an actor, enabled many of the 100 or so there to speak. It was unforgettable.
This week Dave’s own mother died and once again he facilitated a meaningful funeral for his own family. I am glowing with pride that they achieved this.
Laura Conyngham
Ministry on death
What a refreshing letter ‘Ministry on death’ (20 January) was. In it Joan King described her process of ‘letting go physically and spiritually’ on the way to ‘passing from this life into the Light’. I have gone one step further. I have bought my bamboo funeral shroud, from Respect EveryBody. I am enjoying making felt flowers with which to decorate it – a most empowering process and conversation opener. Some are shocked at first. Touchingly, others have asked if they can contribute to the flower making. I feel blessed.
Susan Holden
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