I need suggestionss for things to do for/with my wife on an upcoming anniversary of her father's death.?
She was very close to her father and took his death pretty hard. She'd like to stay busy that day to keep her mind off it too much. We just bought a house so there's no shortage of work to be done there but that also means most of our money is already budgeted for various home expenses-so money is kind of tight. Any suggestions both in honor of him and just "stuff to keep busy" would be appriciated. Thanks!
LI LI LI LI LICK IT LIKE A LOLLI2009-03-04T06:27:05Z
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Hi... As for something for her to "Honor Him"...I would suggest a "Scrap Book". Mayhaps you can get ahold of some pictures of their family & some scrapping materials & just put your imagination to work. You could print from the computer or clip from the newspaper & include places he liked to go to, things he liked to eat, things they all did as a family as she was growing up? Things like that. Include pages of his favorite...colors, designs, ect. (If you personally don't know these things, just ask her casually, gathering up all the lil tidbits, like a hamster, before you make that trek to the store) :D This would be something she will cherish FOREVER.
I heard you say your funds were tight, so, the local dollar store, ("Dollar Tree" for a fact), if you have one in your area would be a perfect start. There, in usually a wide variety, they have everything from the scrapbook itself, to the inserts, stickers, ect.
As far as doing things to keep her busy...I don't know? If at all possible, def take her to visit him at his resting place.
I wouldn't know what else to do? I am sorrie I can't offer any suggestions for that.
My baby man passed away @ 7 weeks in 1999 & on his birthday & anniversaries, I tend to clam up in my bedroom like a hermit, so, I don't know? But I DO know that she will love something like a scrapbook. ;)
My grandfather was like a father to me, so his birthday and the anniversary of his death still hits us hard, and he died in 1991! Every year we make a big deal of going out to eat or cooking a meal that he would have loved. It doesn't have to be a fancy meal, just whatever he would have loved. In our case we tend to make chuck steaks, drink root beer and have pistachio ice cream for desert, because those were his favorite things when my Mom was growing up. Other years we will go to Kelly's Roast Beef on Revere Beach, because that was another favorite place he used to take us to for fried clams and onion rings. The key thing is that we make it a celebration of his life, bringing him back to us though food and happy, silly stories. Sometimes we cry a bit too, but that is okay. It is good to remember and miss the ones we still love who are gone.
If she does something in honor of him, she might have to deal with the emotions this brings up, and they can be very hard - so you'd best keep them positive, focused, and short, then move on to something irrelevant like fixing your house. I'd suggest that if she has sisters and brothers - or a surviving mother too - they all get together for breakfast or lunch, and remember their lives with him in a positive way. They could go to church too, if you're into that. Ministers and priests might have a special service for your family in a private chapel. There's also putting flowers on the grave. If there was something in particular that her father used to like to do with the family - or by himself - they could do that together too.