Grief demands a lot from an individual and may make it difficult to be fully aware of one's surroundings. In this state of mind one may not be able to clearly recall everyone who offered comfort and condolences. One way around this issue is to use funeral register books to keep track of those who attended the services.
There are numerous versions of these products to provide families with a listing of who attended services and how they knew the deceased. These items can be very basic, allowing spaces only for names, addresses and manner of relationship, or they could be more open so that people may share memories, leave messages or add special photographs. They are available in both physical and virtual formats.
Some people may not be able to travel or attend the services but will still feel the need to let the bereaved know they care. Creating an online version of this book provides them with this opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings, or to upload photos of the deceased. There is often an option for family to have these submissions collected, printed and bound as a keepsake.
Only those in attendance are able to sign a physical book. Some families prefer to keep things simple by having guests leave just the basics like their name, address and how they knew the deceased. Others enjoy the sentimental intimacy of allowing others to share their special times and personal thoughts.
In some cases, having a traditional book may not be practical due to the amount of people or size of the venue. This can be solved by having stations set up for guests to leave their messages on cards that are collected in designated containers. After the service the family can collect these and spend time reading them as they place them in a special album.
To provide all friends, relatives and associates of the deceased an opportunity to express their condolences, both online and physical funerary registries should be available. These tools help the family appreciate how deeply their loss was shared. They also provide the bereaved with a collection of fond sentiments and memories.
