Ideas to mark 1st anniversary of mum passing away

helen81_2

The 1st anniversary of my mum dying is coming up fast and I've started to try come up with ideas of what to do on the day,particuarly with the children. They are 11 and 6 and both didn't go to the funeral/cremation as it was out in Spain. We had a memorial service for her in the UK for the people who couldn't make it out to Spain which my 11 year old went to but my 6 year old didn't as we thought he was too young to understand.
Has anyone got any experience of this themselves that would be willing to give me a few options please?

Bethankim

Hiya.

i can only imagine how hard it must be facing this anniversary. when we lost my beloved gran my mum and aunts decided to have a get together.

every year my family get together and we each write a small note and a piece of card, we attach these to balloons filled with helium and let them go, we all meet up and if the weather is good have a picnic and catch up and remember my gran who was the corner stone of my family. Its theone time each year we all make the effort to see each other.

The children (two are now 19 and 21) love doing the message and we let the balloons go as the sun sets -we always have pink balloons as she loved them.

the other ideas could be:

If there is no grave to visit, perhaps you could plant a tree either in your garden or at a local woodland place like the woodland trust or a green cemetary where they have woodland burials may let you - you could have a plaque made and chidren could plant it - i think its a jewish traditon but im not sure - where pebbles or stones are taken to someones grave everytime you have been somewhere to symbolise that the perosn is still with you on your travels.

I take a pebble to my aunts grave whenever i am passing )she lived a fair way away but we pass it on our annual holiday to cornwall so its become a tradition to leave her a bit of conrwall)

what ever you do, it could be somethng connected to a lovely memory foryou and your children of your mum.

floss2

On our mum's first anniversary, we all met up at the crem and walked to the area where her ashes are scattered in the Spring section of the woodland area, the same "season" as dad's ashes are scattered.

Then we went for lunch together at the same pub we went to for her last birthday, 5 months before she died.

We don't all live in the same town as mum, and now we all mark it in our own way, some of us meet up and some don't.

TeetersOnHeels

My dad died on 15 March 08, right between mine and my mums Birthday (11th & 18th March) He was 87 when he died, just after my 39th Birthday.
I'd always planned to take my DS (14) to Florida for my 40th, and wondered if this was still a good idea, being on the anniversary of my dads death.
We did go, and took my mum with us (73). We all had a fabulous time (so much so all 3 of us are booked for next year), and went out for a special meal to mark my dad's passing.

**confuzzled**

Since my Gran passed away 6 yrs ago we buy sky lanterns to light and then let them drift off into the night sky:) It's like we're lighting her birthday candles and sending them up to her:)
It also helped my cousin understand where her Gran went(She was 2 when my Gran died)

tizhimi

sprinkle some seeds.

RachelW1987

Hey Helen81

Sorry for your loss

For my grandad's anniversary myself, my Mam and Grandma walk to Ryton (in Gateshead) to where my Grandma and Grandad's old house was and then we walk along the river. Just remember him and talk about him and tell stories.

My personal memorial to him is on his anniversary I have Sardines on Toast, it was the last thing I seen him doing and a pinched a slice off him lol. Silly the things you remember.

I hope its not too much of an emotional day for you and im sure we will all be thinking about you

LJM

for my grandads 1st my girls at the time were 1 and 1/2 and 3 and they let balloons go up in the sky for grandad to catch,a nice idea for the children we also planted a tree

babymoo

When my beloved Nanna passed away I was only 13 and on the 1st anniversary of it my mum took me and my brother then 11 to alton towers for the day. We had been wanting to go for as long as I can remember and it did really help us get through the day. We missed her dreadfully but mum paid for our tickets with some money her and dad inherited from my Nanna so it was like Nanna was still giving us presents if that makes sense.

skint-student-nurse

i was 9 when my dad died, my DD is 4 and is aware that grandad is in heaven, so we also write a note and attach it to a helium balloon. his birthday is on guy fawkes night so we also have fireworks and a party for him.

helen81_2

Thankyou everyone, some nice thoughts there. I have a baby due on the same day (hows that for bad timing!!) so am abit limited as to what I can do really. I think maybe planting a tree would be the best idea for this year but we only have a meduim size garden. My other thought was naming a star in her memory- thought it would be nice for the kids, especially my youngest as when we told him that she had gone,we said she had gone up to be a star in the sky. Or the helium balloon with a message attatched is a good idea too,the kids can write there Nanna a little note and then think that by releasing the balloons into the sky she will get the messages.