I’ve conducted a number of ceremonies recently for former members of the armed forces, and I’ve been very touched to see their old comrades turn out wearing their berets and regimental ties, accompanied by a standard bearer with the colours bearing their battle honours.Peter’s funeral had all of those elements, but what made it extra … Continue Reading
Archives
Remembrance Day
From the flowers of the forest
To the fallen men of Flanders field,
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning,
We will remember you.
Death, by Sean Hughes
Unlike quite a few of my friends, I never had the pleasure of meeting Sean Hughes, the gifted writer and comedian who died yesterday. I was aware of his comic genius, but I’d never read this poem, which was reproduced today in The Guardian. I hope someone is asked to read it at his funeral! … Continue Reading
Speak the speech, I pray you – Jim and Becky’s wedding at the Caves Part II
I was delighted to see this story in the current edition of the Scottish Wedding Directory: what Jim and Becky did was a great way to use poetry which allowed them to involve lots of their guests at the same time! You can find out how to do that if you read my original post … Continue Reading
Samantha and Martin’s Humanist Wedding at the Rowantree
Sam came in with both her parents, and she and Martin spoke their vows directly from cards.
Are we mourning or celebrating?
I’ve been a celebrant for a dozen years now, and over that time, the character of funerals has undoubtedly changed. Two years ago, the BBC ran this story based on an ICM survey, in which it found that 54% of people wanted a ceremony that was ‘a celebration of life’. Almost as many wanted to … Continue Reading
Rosa and David’s Humanist Wedding at Seton Collegiate Church
Doing the homework was a fantastic way to reflect upon our relationship, and both of us really took a lot away from that experience.
Becky and Jim’s Humanist Wedding at The Caves
Jim and Becky are actors: it’s almost three years since I conducted their wedding at The Caves, and I’ve been itching to write about it ever since because the way they chose to open it was so original! First of all, they chose not to go up onto the stage, like everyone else. They wanted to marry … Continue Reading
Project Elpis: Giving Hope to Refugees
As the humanist chaplain at the University of Edinburgh, I get to meet some inspiring people and I was amazed to see what second-year students Alexandros Angelopoulos and Sam Kellerhals have made happen with their Project Elpis. The word elpis means ‘hope’ in Greek. These two environmental sciences undergraduates have created solar-powered mobile phone charging … Continue Reading
A Funeral for a Humanist
I know it sounds odd, but it’s not often I’m asked to conduct a funeral for a humanist. Lots of people want a humanist ceremony, but what they really want is, “something that’s not religious where we can talk about the person that we love”. We did that for Leslie too: his son Ian delivered a … Continue Reading