The death of someone we have known and loved is no less sad, shocking or painful for those of us who are not religious. Most of us without any particular religious belief also feel that a funeral is an important rite of passage in human life and experience and should be marked and shared in some significant way. A Humanist funeral ceremony positively commemorates an individual’s life, allowing family and friends to pay proper and respectful tribute, to share their grief and acknowledge the loss of someone they loved.
Friends often ask me why I became a Humanist funeral celebrant. My answer is a personal one. My father died, what felt to me, very much before his time and I found coping with his death very difficult. He was not religious and the Humanist celebrant we chose to lead his funeral went to great lengths to incorporate everyone’s memories and thoughts into the ceremony. Her approach was a great source of comfort and I felt that my father would have enjoyed the ceremony she had written for him very much – and that meant a lot to me. His funeral was uplifting, funny and moving, a true celebration of his life and achievements. I always felt that at some time in the future I would like to do for others what this celebrant had done for my family and me. I completed my training with Humanists UK in 2008 and led my first funeral in early 2009.
I have also continued to work as a wildlife filmmaker, bringing my lifelong passion for and curiosity about the natural world and its conservation to the television screen. I’m also a writer and I’ve presented and produced radio programmes about the natural world for BBC Radio 4. I feel that my role as a Humanist celebrant brings together my skills and experiences in a meaningful and unique way. I enjoy hearing about people’s lives and experiences and by learning as much as I can about the person who has died, I hope to write a funeral tribute that justly captures their life and personality.
I have always felt instinctively that this life is the only one of which we can be sure and our best hope of happiness is to live it in the best and most positive way we can. This, for me, is what Humanism is all about. I’m truly grateful for all the people who have come into my life and shared with me something good – whether love, kindness, compassion, integrity, wisdom or simply friendship. I think these are among the greatest gifts we each have to give and in the end they are what make life worth living.
