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When I first heard that my friend Lori, from Write Mind Open Heart, was going to be "live tweeting" the funeral of the husband of fellow blogger Melissa, from Full Circle, I had mixed feelings. Though I knew that Lori had gotten Melissa's permission and blessing to do so, my initial reaction was cynical and I questioned if tweeting during, and specifically about, a person's funeral was taking the role of social media in bereavement too far. However, I tried to reserve further judgement until after I had a chance to read Lori's tweets and see how the whole thing played out.
I was able to read a few of Lori's tweets (which used the hashtag #luvmel) on my phone that afternoon. But I didn't have time to sit down and scroll through all of them (in reverse order as it turned out, because I started with the most recent tweets and went back from there) until late that evening when I got home from a meeting. As I started reading each thoughtful tweet that Lori had typed and viewed many of the touching pictures she shared, I was very moved. I was struck by how much a part of things I felt, not having been there.
I don't really know Melissa, though I have visited and commented on her blog a handful of times over the past year via Perfect Moment Mondays. So though I can appreciate what a tragic loss this is for her and her family, I am experiencing all of this as more of a caring and concerned bystander, than someone who really knows and loves them. That said, I can only imagine how much Lori's #luvmel tweets meant to those who do know and love Melissa and her family that weren't able to be with them in person for her husband's funeral that day.
I may have been skeptical in the beginning as to whether or not "live tweeting" a funeral was appropriate, but in the end I think it was a beautiful and inclusive way for those who love and care about Melissa, her late husband and their family (including all those who knew them through the "blogosphere" and "twittersphere") to feel a part of (and even participate in) the memorial service and celebration of life. Though it would have never occurred to me, prior to that day, to tweet about something like the funeral of a loved one while I was experiencing it, I do understand why it was a worthwhile endeavor for Lori to take on. I also believe now that it was a very kind gesture for Lori to offer to do on behalf of her friend Melissa who is grieving the tragic and unexpected death of her husband and the father of their soon to be adopted foster children.
At one point in the midst of her "live tweeting," Lori invited all those who had "tuned in to the funeral, (to) please tweet something with (the) #luvmel hashtag so Mel knows who was here." I thought that was a wonderful idea, as now long after these end of life festivities are over, Melissa will have another "virtual guestbook" to read through. Hopefully feeling the love and support that was surrounding her from all over the country (and in some cases even the world) that day will bring Melissa some comfort in the days to follow as she begins to work through her grief and learns to adjust to this "new normal" in her life without her dear husband by her side.
I know that losing one's husband is not the same thing as losing a child, however as a bereaved mother and "wounded healer" I often feel drawn to those who are suffering after the loss of a loved one. Though every loss is different, I have found that anyone who has had to bury a family member (of any age) that left this world too soon has a lot in common. I had not yet joined Facebook or Twitter during my pregnancy or at the time our daughter Molly was born and died (from a rare and severe combination of Congenital Heart Defects) in April 2008. Beyond sending email updates to family and friends and blogging about our experience, we did set up a CarePage to keep loved ones and other "Heart Families" who reached out to
