A bridge is a symbol of connection. When you lose a loved one, it can feel as if your bridge, your connection with each other, has collapsed. You can see the broken planks lying around your feet. Memories. Dreams for the future. Shared experiences. And it hurts.
If you take a good look at the planks, you will see that some have beautiful knots and patterns. Others are weathered. Or rough. What do they say about your loved one and about what he or she meant to you?
The process of preparing a funeral ceremony is a bit like picking up all those familiar planks and using them to construct a new bridge.
During the ceremony, you can take the first tentative steps on the new bridge that leads to tomorrow. To a future in which your loved one is no longer physically present but in which you remain connected to them through love.