Luminary Remembrance Walk opens a space for grief during the holidays

The holiday season is a time for joy and celebration for many, with twinkling lights and sparkling tinsel outlining festivities with friends and family.

But the holidays can also be a difficult time for some people, especially those dealing with grief following the death of a loved one.

Providing a space for this grief and a way to remember those loved ones during the holidays is the goal of Haven of Rest’s Luminary Remembrance Walk, said Martha Bryant, who is in charge of community outreach for the funeral home.

“It’s so hard for families to go through the holidays after loss,” Bryant said. “It’s not Merry Christmas for them, it’s awful Christmas.”

The second annual event was held Saturday, providing a candlelight ceremony and chapel time, along with activities for those attending to express their grief and remember their loved ones by writing goodbye letters and creating ornaments.

“We wanted to give people something to do,” Bryant explained. “We’ve learned it’s healing to do something for people we’ve lost.”

Luminary bags were lit with battery-operated candles and placed inside the chapel and outside the building along the pathways where guests were invited to place their goodbye letters.

Haven of Rest is the only full-service funeral home in the Gig Harbor area, offering a cemetery, crematory, a chapel area, gathering rooms and community connections to meet the needs of families following the death of a loved one.

The funeral home also offers a grief group and other events to help with the healing and grieving process.

“We believe in taking care, not only of the loved ones who have died, but also the families who are left grieving,” Bryant said. “The people who are living are left with hard feelings and we want to be a helpful part of the community in that area.”

Haven of Rest is located at 8503 state Route 16 NW in Gig Harbor. It can be reached at 253-851-9991, and more information can be found on its website at havenrest.com.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Luminary Remembrance Walk opens a space for grief during the holidays."