Funeral Celebrant Sheenagh

23/02/2026

LET’s TALK ABOUT OUR FUNERAL WISHES …..

Many people find difficulty broaching the subject of Death and Funerals - so
put off talking about the subject

But if we did talk more openly about Death and Funerals - talk to our loved ones about our preferences whilst we still have chance it could make things much easier for those we leave behind when the time comes - and once we’ve had the conversation it doesn’t need to be spoken about again (unless you want to of course).

BUT …..

Feb 23rd to March 1st 2026 is National Funeral Planning Awareness week.
A time to encourage us to have those conversations - about our Funeral wishes and preferences etc

Here are just a few of the things you might like to consider:

Would you like to be Buried or Cremated?

Do you have a preferred Funeral Director?

With regards to Religion - would you like a totally Religious service - have some Religion, maybe a Prayer or to have no Religion at all?

What sort of Coffin would you like - Wooden, Wicker, Cardboard or no coffin at all - maybe a Shroud?

Do you want a dress code - people to wear Black or a particular colour or have a theme - maybe football colours or totally casual?

Do you have a preferred location (Crematoria or Burial ground)?

Your music preferences - it doesn’t have to be ‘funeral music’ it could be a TV theme, sound effects or live music

The choices you make can be much more detailed if you wish them to be or they can just be some of the wishes you would like included - it’s totally up to you.

But events like this are a good conversation starter if you’ve been wondering how to broach the subject with your loved ones ……. And remember - these aren’t things you need to keep talking about - and if you prefer not to talk then why not write your wishes down and keep the information in a place where your family know where it is

21/02/2026

A gentle message for anyone who needs to hear this ….

20/02/2026

Today is National love your pet day…..

Pets can play such an important part in peoples grief journey.

They can provide us with an emotional anchor - with unconditional love and comfort that can help us to deal with the pain of bereavement and give us some respite from the overwhelming feelings we might be experiencing.

Pets are very intuitive and will sense when their owners are distressed and instinctively come for a cuddle.

The emotional and physical impact of Grief often leaves us feeling lethargic but animals rely on routine :

They still need to be fed
They still need to be exercised

So maintaining a daily routine to look after a pet helps us to maintain focus - and sometimes that’s what we need to get out of bed.

My dog always senses when I need a cuddle - at the moment she is on nursing duties looking after my husband 🩷

17/02/2026

Today see’s the beginning of the Chinese New Year and this year brings us the year of the Fire Horse.

It’s apparently a rare event which occurs on a 60 year cycle.

There are a number of themes for the Year ahead and although I’m obviously not Chinese and nor do I follow the Chinese New Year I have long since had a genuine interest in appreciation of cultures other than my own and have a fascination of their traditions.
I always remember with a smile when my lovely friend Louise brought me Mooncake to eat at the mid autumn festival (considered the second most important festival in the Chinese calender)- moon cake is definitely an acquired taste!

Reading about the themes for this year though I instantly thought how some of them could be applicable to my work as an Independent Celebrant - they include:

* Action and Momentum: The energy encourages breaking free from stagnant situations, launching new projects, and making quick decisions.

* Double Fire" Intensity: Since the Horse is already a Fire-sign, and 2026 is a Fire year, this brings a "peak of fire," which can be exhausting or cause burnout if not managed

* Guidance: It is considered a time to stay grounded, avoid unnecessary risks, and manage intense emotions.

As far as my Business goes I’ve been pondering with making a decision for a good few months about stepping back from a professional organisation that I’m a member of that is no longer fulfilling my requirements - I need to stop procrastinating about this ✅

I already had a Business development project in abeyance from last year that I had to put on the back burner for personal reasons but that I am hopeful of promoting later in the year ✅

All Celebrants are different and have differing commitments in terms of their chosen workload and way of working - and I do realise I am fortunate.
As a Funeral Celebrant I consciously set boundaries with my workload for both my own benefit and that of the families I work with.

I choose quality over quantity of services I take on and I will only ever officiate one service per day (I’ve only broken this boundary once and won’t be doing it again unless it’s an absolute extreme situation) and ordinarily I will only take up to a maximum of 3 services in one week - and not every week ✅

I am in contact with and speak with Celebrant colleagues on a regular basis - it’s good to be able to discuss work activity with people who understand the complexities and challenges of the role we have ✅
and as always I remain grateful every day for the opportunities that come my way to work with lovely Funeral Directors and lovely families ✅

I’m definitely not a risk taker with anything I do either with work or in my private life and as for managing emotions - well I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t particularly saddened by some of the details I hear about in my work - there are times I’ve had to dig my fingernails in to the palm of my hand in chapel - usually triggered by a piece of music and on occasion I have had to give my head a wobble and remind myself that the grief isn’t mine.

It’s good to be mindful or and embrace cultures other than our own in order to learn and develop

15/02/2026

Feeling valued ❤️

When your favourite Funeral Director says they are looking forward to you returning to work …aww

14/02/2026

I might be taking a step back from officiating services at the moment but in between hospital visiting I still managed to squeeze in a CPD session hosted by the Civil Celebtant Connection on the subject of Business goal setting.

Having worked most of my life in the NHS having a Personal Development Plan was always a given and so for my Business it was definitely on my must have task list - setting myself goals for the year and then creating an action plan to hold myself accountable for achieving them was a given

Participating in this session helped me to be clear that my Celebrant objectives are no different and need also to follow the SMART principles :
Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Relevent and Timely.’

On a positive note I know I am on target

14/02/2026

13/02/2026

With today being Friday 13th I thought I would share with you some of the jinxes that come to try us Celebrants during a service - I hasten to add that these thankfully aren’t regular occurrences - but people are often intrigued about what can go wrong ….

What do you think would be the worst thing to deal with if you were in my shoes?

13/02/2026

Every day i look at my garden and see the snowdrops & daffodil greenery starting to grow - its a sign of better things on the horizon.

Ive noticed lighter evenings already (mornings not so much at the mo but will soon)

For those who have been struggling with the darker evenings, remember that lighter days are coming.

Everybody is different, but spring and summer can be a welcome sight for lots of people.

cruse.org.uk

10/02/2026

As Spring appears and hopefully the thoughts of lighter days, brighter weather and a sense of Hope for the year ahead emerges - it also means that we become bombarded with marketing hype about ‘special days’ like Valentines Day, Mothers Day and then Fathers Day.

When you’re recently bereft or grieving - the expectation of having to ‘Celebrate’ these days can feel like a punch in the chest.

So as Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s worth remembering that while this day associated with love and celebration for many, it can also be yet another incredibly hard day for others.

If you are grieving the loss of a partner or spouse, or if this is the first Valentine’s Day without the person you love, Valentines Day can hit you with a heavy wave of feeling sad - and that’s understandable.

So if these upcoming days feel difficult, know you’re not alone.

You might find it helpful to:

* Lower expectations and allow yourself to feel whatever comes up

* Spend the day doing whatever feels right for you - a little break from social media - stay away from places where you’ll be bombarded with loved up hype.

* If you are fortunate enough to have someone you trust and can spend time with could you meet for a coffee and a chat

* Perhaps you might want to just spend some quiet time on your own with your favourite memories - maybe go for a walk, curl up with a book or listen to some music

Remember that love doesn’t disappear, even when someone is no longer here and as I always say to people - you don’t need one day to be the reminder of the love you had for your person.

09/02/2026

Dealing with Death and understanding Grief can be really difficult for Adults - so imagine how much more difficult it can be for a child or young person.

Children and young people WILL have questions - and may not always know who they can talk to and ask those questions to.

CHILD BEREAVEMENT UK
Are a national charity who have three main purposes:

1. They provide free and confidential bereavement support to children and young people up to the age of 25

2. They support parents and families grieving the death of a child

3. They provide bereavement training for Professionals.

There are many resources both online and in written formats that can help explain Death and Grief which are age appropriate.

If you require assistance and would like some guidance / signposting to resources and services please do reach out and I will gladly help.

When I meet with families I always ask if there will be children present at the service and clarify their understanding of what has happened to the person and what happens at a funeral service.

Whether children should attend funeral services is a subjective matter and I am aware people do have differing views.

I am always more than happy to discuss their attendance at services I officiate and will help in any way I can to make it a less frightening and less stressful situation.

I can speak from personal experience - my own Mum died when I was 11 and I was aware of the reluctance to allow me to attend her funeral - I guess because people were trying to protect me - but no one spoke with me about what had happened or what would happen on the day of the service.

09/02/2026

What a lovely message I received from the family of a lady whose service I officiated recently.

Privileged to have been the Celebrant chosen by one of my lovely regular Funeral Directors and honoured to have been part of such a very special Celebration of life service.

I keep saying this but I really wish I had taken the leap of faith to become. Funeral Celebrant years ago - it might sound weird but I absolutely love being a Celebrant - I don’t do this for praise and sometimes you do doubt yourself and wonder whether what you created and delivered is what the family wanted but when people take the time to express their gratitude ….well it just affirms that you did a good job ❤️