Funeral Celebrant - Gillian Barnett

05/08/2023

I have been wondering what to say and what to do for a long time now and have decided that, as I have not been required to take any funerals for the past few months, I will be officially closing my Funeral Celebrant business. I have truly loved my years as a celebrant: loved every part of my job and considered it a privilege to be allowed into your families and homes. The trust you put in me makes me feel humble indeed. I thank you, my families.
Much as I would love to carry on it is crazy to complete a tax return for a few hundred pounds a year!
But I would be very happy to continue to take funerals with a different arrangement for payment!
I wish you all happiness.

With regards and love,
Jill

12/05/2023

Later today, I am going dancing! I love to dance and have danced in one form or another all my life starting with ballet, modern and tap as most little girls did. I adored being a 70s dancer at the disco but opportunities to dance dried up after that unless there was a wedding or party.... until the rebirth of Strictly when dance schools had a revival! Claire and I started Latin dance classes and I found my true dance home! I now belong to a dance club where I can learn all of the ballroom and sequence dances but love my latin line dance on a Friday evening.
I have to thank Strictly Come Dancing and of course our darling Len Goodman who was the best, fair and funniest judge of all.
His death as well as that of Paul O'Grady, (a kind, warm and genuine man) was a great shock to us and I will miss these two television personalities so much.
Rest peacefully Len and Paul.

03/04/2023

Good morning, I hope it is a good morning for you on this sunny day.

I met with my 'Cornish' family yesterday. We were together to celebrate the newest little girl to be born and what a sweetie pie she is! A new baby for my cousin whose brother died during lock down. I was also able to meet with his wife Amanda. I was asked to take his funeral ceremony.
Amanda was happy and told me that her first grandchild was due this month and another later in the year. It was so good to see her excited at the prospect of the year to come as she has suffered badly since the death of her husband.

There is nothing like a new baby to lift our spirits and now that Spring is nearly here we are surrounded by new life.

21/03/2023

I was away in Gran Canaria for Mother's Day so I didn't post a message but I did visit this beautiful, calm and bright cathedral in Las Palmas where I lit a candle for my own mama and all the mamas I have taken ceremonies for.
Thinking of all the families of those mothers.
X

28/02/2023

I love to see the sky through tree branches. The tiny buds on these branches show that Sping is coming.
In the same way that we don't know when our seasons will change or if we can we rely on our weather forecasts, we don't know how we will feel each day. We must trust that tomorrow will be brighter and warmer and grief will be less invasive.
I hope that blue skies and yellow daffodils can cheer you a little.

22/02/2023

I am happy to say that I have finished my 30 days of yoga challenge! A bit late but it has been a crazy time with a lot going on. Some days I have not had a moment to pause and others I have been so tired, but I am sure that yoga has helped me to be more calm and relaxed. I feel energised and fitter too so it has been a worthwhile journey for a very good cause.
That cause is my darling grandson Logan. He is nearly at the end of his three and a half year treatment for leukaemia and we are all so grateful for the incredible research that has given him life. Having said that, he has been so poorly these last couple of months and instead of feeling that the end is in sight for all the chemo and meds he has been taking all this time, his poor body has no fight left in it and he has no reserves of strength to see him through.
But without the research and finding a way to treat this cancer, Logan would have died. Thanks to this intervention, however awful it has been,
Logan is here and will get better.
Such a long journey he has had to make and all I did was a bit of yoga for 30 days.
Thank you for supporting Logan and me.

09/02/2023

I was never much into poetry until I became s funeral celebrant but now I find that some poems can say what is in my heart better than I can. Here is one such, although I would say miss out thev3rd verse........

08/02/2023

Today is dad's s birthday and he has reached the amazing age of 100!!
As you can see, he still looks good, his mind and memory are better than mine and he still lives alone and looks after himself. Today he has chosen to go out for breakfast with us, attend his darts club and then keyboard club this evening!!

Happy birthday Dad!

18/01/2023

Not quite to the top but a good walk!

18/01/2023

This glorious sun rise on Dartmoor makes me glad to be alive. Can't wait to walk up Hay Tor later.

03/01/2023

3 days of yoga completed and a huge thank you to those that have sponsored me!

20/12/2022

Each year I try to find words of comfort for my families and friends who have been bereaved. But I came across this post that says it all for me.
But I send my love and support to all of you and those suffering in so many ways both here and around the world. May you all find some peace this Christmas.

Coping at Christmas.

Thankyou to Our House Grief (Instagram) for these tips. 🧡🌲🧡🌲