Why am I doing this?

Hi,

I'm making this blog as a resource for people that have lost a loved one and need help getting information together for an obituary or finding an encouraging poem or inspirational saying to remind them of their loved ones that have passed away.

I lost a loved one today. About five years ago, I lost both my father and my step-father within two years of each other. Until today, it's been a while since any family member really close to me has died. For a long time I've been two and three steps removed from the deceased. This one is a bit closer to home. It's not a great-uncle or a great-aunt that passed away. It's not a friend's grandparent's funeral. This time it is not even a co-worker's family member that died. This time it is so close that it could have been my own mother or a sibling, but it was another relative instead. I remember this relative mostly from my childhood and a few family reunions in the last five or ten years. I'm sad and will miss him, but I'm getting information together in case it will help his children and others that are now planning his funeral.

I've been the one to gather information for the obituary for both my father and step-father. I designed and printed an obituary for my father. I've helped two other relatives and friends get the details and design together for an obituary for their loved ones. I know how crazy and hectic things can be in a time like this after a family member's death, and no one is thinking logically or very clearly at the time because they are too close to the situation. Here is my effort to help make things a bit easier for others, even though I know it still hurts right now.