Surviving A Memorial Service? Advice Needed

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rats_and_cats
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11 Mar 2017, 8:38 am

I have to go to the viewing and the memorial service of a close friend. Thankfully, she was cremated so I don't have to look at a body. That's really selfish of me to say because I'm sure her parents would have flown her over here in a coffin if they could afford it. I tried to talk my way out of going but Mom is making me. She says it will be good for me, but thinking about it has just reopened wounds that have recently healed, if that makes sense. I'm so nervous I'm sick to my stomach. My family is Irish so our memorial services are joyful and casual, but my friend is Italian and I don't know how her family does things. If the service is about mourning and crying together, I'm leaving no matter what anyone says because I'll have a meltdown. Because I was a close friend, I feel like I'll be expected to say something, but what do I even say? And this may seem like a minor issue compared to everything else, but I have to wear nice clothes and even though I chose the most comfortable clothes I could find it's still not what I usually wear. Has anyone been in this situation before? How did you deal with it?



the_phoenix
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11 Mar 2017, 2:15 pm

What gets me through is prayer.

Everybody grieves in their own personal way, and that should be respected.
Since you were a close friend, I would think the family will be so very grateful to see you.
Basically, the social thing to do is greet the family and say something like,
"I'm so sorry for your loss" or whatever is comfortable for you to say.
And if you feel the need to leave, you do so, and people should understand.

Now you are feeling wounded ... and I feel for you ... know that
sometimes it's possible for healing to take place, or at least start,
at a memorial service.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.



rats_and_cats
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11 Mar 2017, 8:35 pm

Thank you for the advice and for the prayers. I couldn't find her parents because the funeral home was packed completely full and I could barely move. I don't think the service helped me personally, but I think I was able to help others by sharing stories and photos. I have no idea how I lasted as long as I did. I left halfway through and now I feel worse than I did before. The focus ended up being on how to cope with her death/keep her memory alive, so there was a lot of sad speeches. It was definitely not a celebration. At least they didn't play On Eagle's Wing.

There is one positive: I'm now more determined than ever to beat my depression because I don't want my family and friends to go through what I'm going through.