The story I never wanted to write

An old friend called. We had a laugh. Chatted about old times. We made a date to catch up via Zoom in a couple of weeks. Said goodbye. 

Then I got a text. Admitted to hospital, it said. 

And another. On a ventilator, it said.

Gone. 

This is the story I never wanted to write. 

 

Like so many of us in the last eighteen months, I had lost a friend to COVID 19, and I was unprepared. Grief came like a slap in the face, and I didn't quite know what to do. 

Then I found myself doing the things. Like looking at photographs. Re-listening to old voicemails. I played music from the naughties, smiling then crying thinking about when and where our lives intertwined. And it hurt. And it was healing, and I shed tears because a beautiful soul has gone. 

And after I stopped, and centered myself again, I knew I had to do more. 

More in my business - because it was important to more than just me. 

For years I have shied away from talking about my business connected to the inevitable loss we all experience.

Because it's awkward.

Because it's awful.

Because I didn't want to profit from peoples grief.

And I was afraid how others would see me. 

I have never wanted clients to be seeking out my services because they were afraid. I didn't want people to think I was some kind of pariah. 

So I stayed quiet. I didn't speak the words, because I thought I'd be misunderstood. Perhaps most people would get it, but for that person who didn't, well, I should keep the truth I knew quiet, because hurting someone wasn't what I wanted.  

And I thought I was doing the right thing. 

.........but then this happened.

And now it wasn't someone else's grief. It was my own, and all the reasons I had kept silent - seemed flimsy. 

So like it or not, I am going to start talking. Because people should know.

They should have a choice.

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Because when I was grieving, all I wanted was to see my friends face, to hear his voice and his laugh one more time.

And that is exactly what we offer.

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A chance to see your loved one.

To hear their voice.

For them to tell you their life story, their journey in their own words.

The focus of my business has always been celebration. Celebrating the life of our clients. And that will never change. 

But I am no longer going to be silent about a very uncomfortable truth we all face. Because we all face those final separations from parents, friends and family. And in those times of grief, having a video memoir of your loved one is a beautiful and precious gift. Being able to read their story together is powerful. 

I write peoples memoirs for them. Yes.

But more importantly, I help families in their grief, but giving them a way to connect with their loved ones. 

I've said it before and I will say it a lot more now. Your journey matters. Your story matters. And there are so many people who want to know it and share in it. There are things your family just don't know about you yet. It's time to tell them. 

Because everyone has a story to share. We just make it easy. 

 

If you would like to read more like this:

BLOG: Write from the wound not the scar

BLOG: What is a ghostwriter?