 In
Lieu Of
It is never easy comforting a relative, friend or associate who
has lost a loved one.
Many people want to express their sympathy and show respect for
the deceased in a variety of ways, including charitable contributions,
food donations, a helping hand, and cards and flowers sent to the
family's home or to the funeral service.
Sympathy flowers have been a part of funeral and memorial traditions
in nearly every culture throughout history. In ancient cultures,
floral and herb essences were used to anoint the bodies of the deceased
and aromatic flowers and greens were displayed.
Flowers add warmth to the service and provide the visible emotional
support the bereaved need during this time.
If you've ever been to a funeral that is void of flowers, it is
a cold and somber environment. A funeral without flowers is a sad,
lonely, cold place.
Flowers honor the deceased's life, express sympathy is a heartfelt
way (providing a way to be there even if you physically can't be),
and provide a warm, pleasant diversion -- something to talk about
during the visitation and the service.
Flowers are something that can be there when you can't be, and
we all know how they can express our feelings in so many ways.
Flowers can be a great source of comfort to those grieving the
loss of a loved one, and should be regarded as an important gesture.
Recent research indicates that sympathy flowers may not only brighten
and warm a funeral or memorial service setting, but also have a
positive impact on the emotional well-being of the bereaved.
A 2006 behavioral research study conducted at Harvard by Nancy
Etcoff, Ph.D., reveals some of the calming, fortifying feelings
flowers create. The study reveals that flowers feed compassion and
chase away anxiety and worries. Research participants lived with
fresh flowers for just a few days and reported increases in feelings
of compassion and kindness for others. Overall, people simply felt
less negative after being around flowers.
Previous behavioral research by Rutgers University also found
that flowers improve our emotional health, according to The Journal
of Evolutionary Psychology. Research participants reported feeling
less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and
demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.
The bereavement process is a pivotal time when worry, anxiety
and many sad emotions are present. With such compelling research
that shows how flowers impact emotional well-being, flowers should
be regarded as an essential part of the bereavement process.
In light of the emotional benefits of flowers, it is hard to imagine
a funeral or memorial service without them.
For information on the behavioral research and flowers in general,
please visit www.aboutflowers.com.
|
