A timeless tradition in the Greek Orthodox faith is the forty day and then one year Memorial Service following a death. Up until now I never gave this practice a second thought.
The way it’s done, forty days after the death of a loved one, family & friends gather at church for a brief service following the regular Sunday service. After the service, everyone is invited to the church hall for something as simple as coffee & koulourgia (a Greek cookie) to an elaborate catered lunch. I always knew that this was a religious ceremony for the soul of the deceased.
Since I’ve lost my mother & have gotten a little older, I realize how important this practice is for a family that is grieving the loss of a loved one.
After a funeral is over, everyone leaves & goes about the business of living their busy lives. The family of the deceased is left to deal with their loss. A Greek family will experience the love & fellowship of friends 40 days after a death & then again 1 year latter all in remembrance of the deceased.
Why am I sharing this with you today?
One of my drivers had a delivery for someone who was not at home. She went next door to the neighbor to ask if she would hold the package til the recipient came home. The neighbor was an elderly women & was disappointed when she realized the flowers were not for her. She shared with my driver that her daughter had passed away the previous year & was hoping that someone had remembered…
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
That is a wonderful article. Really touching…It really feels great when you are remembered by someone. I always try to keep in touch with people I know, both from family and work…maybe now a days I am too busy to visit them personally, but I make sure to call them to tell them how much they mean to me.