«We were unable to hold her hand throughout her passing because of Covid-19» – Liz’s Bios Story

Losing a loved-one is absolutely heart-wrenching. For any family.

Our instinct is to want to celebrate that person and their life, together. Carrying out a farewell ritual is a way of collectively remembering and honoring a loved one. Committal rituals in grieving can help the bereaved to say goodbye. As well as being a way of saying farewell, they can help mourners to feel connected to the person who has died, and express love, closeness or admiration.

However, we are going through surreal times because of this worldwide pandemic. After the terrible loss of a loved-one, families see their efforts to organize a funeral affected by Covid-19 in more ways than one. Even saying goodbye in the knowledge that death is near is also sometimes not possible face to face. This is what Liz and her family had to face.

She kindly shares her story with us after facing their own final goodbye and funeral affected by Covid-19. Many families are probably going through similar situations and we hope that her Bios story brings some comfort that it is possible to find ways to beautifully honor the person who has passed and feel a sense of closure.

 

 

Liz’s Bios Story: A family funeral affected by covid-19

«My mother in law died at the end of April, 2020 during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. We took turns standing in the bushes outside her bedroom window, saying our masked good-byes.

As it was and continues to be for so many others around the world, we were unable to hold her hand and talk to her throughout her passing.    

It wasn’t until early August that her children, their spouses, and six grandchildren could gather in her honor – after testing negative and planning numerous safety precautions – and put her remains to rest.  The bios urn idea emerged from an online search, and quickly rose to be our choice.  This is a family that cares deeply about land use and renewable resources.  

With the help of an arborist, we placed the urn in a beautiful spot on a lawn in New Hampshire owned by my sister and brother-in-law.  My mother-in-law cared deeply about her grandchildren, and loved to plan special vacations with all of them present, so it seemed fitting to bury her remains in the place where we gather most often.  She rests beneath a Honey Crisp apple sapling.»

 

 

Each Bios® Planting is Unique

Each planting, each location, is specific to the individual and family, and no two Bios Urns® in the world are the same. That’s the beauty of these real-life stories, there is a sense of autonomy and choice. Dealing with loss is always hard, and tends to send life in an unknown and often confusing direction.

One thing we believe at Bios, is that people see the beauty of life expressed in nature, and in trees. How we connect with these cycles and these stages is personal into and of itself, but the important thing is that we all connect. Like Liz’s own Bios Urn story. Our only hope is to provide comfort and a positive alternative to those who have experienced loss, and to provide a voice for those willing to share their unique stories.

 

Has a goodbye or a funeral affected by Covid-19 in your family? Or maybe you have your own real-life Bios story to tell? Let us know in the Comments section below. We would love to hear from you.

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