Americans traditionally have expressed their respect for the dead, and sympathy for the bereaved by sending flowers. This long-standing custom helps people express their innermost feelings. Funeral flowers are for the living and the dead. They are a symbol of comfort to those left behind, and a gesture of respect for the deceased.
Flowers are sent to funerals for several reasons. First, flowers are a means of expression. It is often difficult for those mourning a death to put feelings into words. Flowers are a visual expression of love, sympathy, and respect. They are a way to lend support and share in the burden of grief.
Secondly, flowers create a background of warmth and beauty which adds to the dignity and consolation of the funeral service. Those who have attended services where there were no flowers have expressed the feelings that something was missing.
Following the service, the bereaved are left with an permanent impression of the funeral. Flowers are a very important item in this lasting impression, for they directly affect the warmth and comfort generated by the "memory picture."
The more comforting the memory picture, the more easily it is recalled by the bereaved; and the more vivid the reinforcement of reality and actualization of loss. Flowers do not wither and die in the mind of the bereaved. They are recalled time and again as indelible memories.
Flowers also have a spiritual significance. They are symbolic not only of love and sympathy, but also of eternity and immortality. The life of flowers is fleeting. They attest to our transitory lives. There is profound religious symbolism in the very fact that flowers do not last forever.
Reeves and Baskerville Funeral Homes have been voted best funeral service in Grundy County and one of the Best of Will County, with locations in Coal City, Gardner, Morris and Wilmington.