The notion of ‘ to praise ‘ and ‘ to speak well of ‘ is common to most definitions found for the term eulogy.

Eulogies are delivered so that the living, those of us who are left behind, are given an opportunity to reflect upon the positive impact that the person who has died has had upon our lives.

It is not a competition for delivering a faultless speech and it is not about the person delivering the eulogy. The rewards of writing and delivering a eulogy may help somewhat to compensate for the stressful experience of presenting in public and it maybe helpful to keep in mind that the person or persons who have written the eulogy do not need to deliver it.

The eulogy provides a unique opportunity for the living to pause, honor, reflect and acknowledge the contribution the deceased person made whilst alive and the legacy that remains.

A personal preference, if there is only one eulogy to be shared, is for several people to spend some time together reminiscing and crafting a tribute which encompasses the different perspectives of those close to the person who has died.