Linda Stuart, Life-Cycle Celebrant

Many of us have had to pivot, reassess and redesign our lives in the past year. While it’s been challenging for many, it’s also provided the space for us to really think about the direction we want our lives to go. I’m sure I was born a celebrant and will always be one. And this past year, complete with postponed memorials and weddings, has helped me discover another path that I’m excited to travel. More on this later but in the meantime, how have these waves of change helped you discover a new direction?

I love Viive Planning's holistic approach to facilitate conversations around aging and end-of-life planning. A much needed service that helps preserve both relationships and wealth and I am delighted to be one of their Trusted Partners!

Bubbles make me happy. Bubbles in my bath and bubbles in my glass (!) But the bubbles that make me the happiest are the ones that magically form during a ceremony. I often use the analogy of a bubble to describe what a good ceremony feels like. We’re all together in the same bubble (even online) and time feels like it’s standing still. We don’t feel the need to check our phones and we get lost in something bigger than our own little worlds. We stop, we breathe and we share an experience we will never forget. Together, in our bubble. Now that’s a good ceremony. Bubbles are magical, yes, but they are also very delicate and need to be handled with care. Be mindful when you choose the person who will hold your ceremony bubble.

Part Two: 12 Things That Changed My Pandemic Life https://www.facebook.com/578491416/videos/10157927852926417/

It's been over a year since the first Covid case was diagnosed and life as we knew it turned upside down. I'd like to share with you a few of the things that ha...ve really made a difference in my life - physically mentally and emotionally. Part Two here: https://www.facebook.com/578491416/videos/10157927852926417/ See more

Among other things, 2020 was the year of postponed weddings. I was feeling disconnected and after months of uncertainty, sadness and confusion, I was craving some uninhibited joy. Ashley and Anthony’s wedding delivered that and so much more as four generations of beautiful souls gathered together in a magical forest Whispering Springs to celebrate love in all its glory. There were so many moments worth remembering an intention setting stone ritual, a circle of love blessing..., a touching tribute to remember Anthony’s grandparents and unclebut the moment I will never forget was Ashley’s grandparents holding and blessing the wedding rings before they were slipped onto the fingers they would forever call home. You are responsible for starting the love that has flowed through generations and is felt today in immeasurable abundance. Ashley and Anthony’s hearts are full of gratitude because you are here today to join them as they continue the love story that you started. Their wedding rings are not only symbolic of their love for each other, but also their love for their families and where it all began and so we would love if you would each hold them for a moment in your hands and bless them with your wishes for a marriage as beautiful and long-lasting as yours has been. On the drive home from Whispering Springs I found myself (loudly) singing in my car, something I hadn’t done in a very long time. #Joypersonified Amazing photography brought to you by Julian & Kelly Photography

Whether we are saying hello to life or goodbye at death, marking a milestone or crossing a threshold, the shared experience of an authentic, thoughtfully crafted and delivered ceremony can connect us as human beings and give us a place to go with our feelings of love, loss, hope and joy. If youd like to experience how a one-of-a-kind ceremony can add meaning to your life, I can help. Xo

Yup. Bob sure got that right. #thenewnormal #changeisneeded #bobdylan

#challengeaccepted thank you @ashleyantonietta - heres to celebrating kind, strong and beautiful women. Nothing can dim the light which shines from within ~Maya Angelou #womenempowerment

The world is changing. Our eyes are opening, our ears are listening and everyone has a voice. Even-and especially-on their wedding day. (Written by my sister-celebrant, Lois Heckman Celebrant) https://www.poconorecord.com//wedding-talk-infusing-social

Starting to plan a memorial in Ontario? With the government now providing more flexibility on the number of attendees permitted at indoor and outdoor funeral ceremonies, families can finally begin the process of honouring their loved one with a unique ceremony and special celebration. Click on the link for some tips on how to get started and an example of what truly custom memorial can look like. https://linda-stuart.ca/the-gift-of-time-planning-a-future/

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about what matters. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. #blacklivesmatter

Covid has changed the way we do funerals and many have decided to postpone a memorial until such a time we can once again gather in person. This piece is a collaboration with Diana Robinson, founder of Celebrations of Life Toronto that provides inspiration on how you can start planning now for a future memorial to honour your loved ones life. https://linda-stuart.ca/the-gift-of-time-planning-a-future/

Some good advice here!

We hear a lot about essential workers - health care professionals, grocery clerks, truck drivers...the list goes on but we rarely, rarely acknowledge the emotional and physical challenge that funeral professionals are facing during this pandemic. Some great insight penned in this thoughtful piece written by Jimmy Cardinal of Cardinal Funeral Homes. "This experience has been tough on our funeral directors. They come to work every day, putting their lives at risk to help people during their worst moments, whether its a pandemic or not. And now theyre not able to help the families as well as they have. A couple of them have come to me and said theyve had to take a moment to go to a room and cry because of the sad stories theyve been hearing." https://torontolife.com//around-half-of-our-funerals-las/

Covid-19 has put our traditional ways of coming together on pause but there are many ways to create non-physical shared experiences to help us feel connected to others and hopefully also heal. Loved collaborating with Heike Mertins to create this piece on nurturing connection during this time of physical distancing. https://linda-stuart.ca/simple-rituals-to-stay-connected/

A Mothers Day like no other, today will no doubt carry the full spectrum of emotions. No fancy brunch or large family dinner plans - no visits to the retirement home or cemetery. But love can always be expressed somehow, even if youre by yourself. Im going to bake myself a lemon cake and eat it while I virtually visit my kids this afternoon. Im going to deliver a gift to my mother while I sit in the driveway and watch her open it via FaceTime. Nothing can replace the hugs that we all really want, but love can still be expressed and thats what its all about. How are you celebrating today?

Perhaps the cruelest part of this pandemic is that people are dying alone, and those left behind must grieve alone. Linda Stuart from Linda Stuart, Life-Cycle C...elebrant joined me to discuss how people are finding new ways to adjust to our current reality when it comes to saying goodbye to those we love. See more

Driveway visits are all we can do right now but the sun was shining and they seem happy enough. I am so grateful they didnt listen to their bossy daughter (that would be me) who has been encouraging them to move to a retirement home. Having an almost full-time caregiver has allowed them to stay in their home where they are safe. #theywereright #imissyou #stayhome

All wars result in grief. But this war is redefining how we do grief. And perhaps the greatest tragedy of the current crisis is that not only are people dying away from their families, but families are grieving away from their people. https://linda-stuart.ca/yes-we-have-no-bananas/

I have much to be grateful for but for a few days last week, I just wasnt ok. I had been dripping for a while and then quickly melted down like a double scoop of cookie dough. Worst-case scenario was all I could see. I was worried I would never hug my elderly parents again. I was scared for my husband and son whose work is considered essential. I was frustrated with my dad who really wants to visit the bank to flirt with the tellers and pay his bills. I missed my adult child...ren - even more because I dont know when I will see them again. This is grief and like they say, its not something we jump over but something we pick up and learn to carry. And part of grief work is discovering our new normal but in this case, instead of finding it on our own, we are being told what it is. And some days I am able to see the bright side and do something purposeful with all of this time that I suddenly have. I can finally figure out wordpress and create newsletters and try new recipes. I can write blog posts, listen to uplifting podcasts and read the books that I save for vacations. But then there are other days, when I just need to be sad while I figure out how to carry this new and different kind of grief. Yes, we are all in this together but we are all experiencing it differently, so lets remember that this is grief and some days, its ok not to be ok.

Friday night double date. #reallifebesties #virtualdinnerdate #covidcooking

End-of-life ceremonies are important because they give our love a place to go. Sadly, during this worldwide crisis, many families will have no choice but to postpone a ceremony to honour their loved ones life. While they wait, I believe that a little creativity, along with modern technology, can help bridge the gap and create a place for families to go now with their love and their grief. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRH41W3hcas&t=74s

I woke up this morning with our national anthem singing in my head and it was like I heard the lyrics for the very first time. And I cried a lot. So, I wrote down what was struggling to emerge - a love letter to Canada. Oh Canada As we stand on guard for thee Let us, who call this glorious land home... Take care of each other. Oh Canada As we see thee rise Let us, with glowing hearts Share what we can share and even what we cant. Oh Canada As our true love spreads far and wide Let us always remember We are strong, we are north and we are free But we are also gentle, kind and caring. And that, Dear Canada Is what makes us Canada And that, Dear Canada Is what will save us.

I dont exactly know why, but being around water is truly where my soul prefers to live. Oceans, lakes or rivers - something happens to me and I feel happier, calmer and more creative. Sixteen glorious days in this beautiful place has helped me conceive a new project that Im truly excited to get home and give birth to. But, I need about nine months so stay tuned. #caymanbeach #inspiredlife #7milebeach #grandcayman #regalbeachclub #creativelivingbeyondfear #dreambig #clbrnt #torontocelebrant #babynumber3

I choose Love. Love is a verb. Its something that you make happen, not something that happens to you. Its something you create, not wait for. Its more important than being right. It means having scary conversations that expose you beyond nakedness. It sometimes falls apart and stays apart and other times, breaks into a million little pieces only to be put back together in a whole new and beautiful way. Love is trusting that your heart is safe, even if its been broken i...n the past and even if it will be broken again in the future. Its riding the seasons of birth and death, joy and sorrow knowing that you are always better together than apart. Love begins as an intoxicating feeling and, with a little luck and a lot of awareness, matures into a conscious decision that both partners say yes to. Every single day. I love our life David Roseborough and am so glad we chose love. See more

Had a great time chatting with @elainemarieshannon and @danalloyd_leadership about death, dying, and funerals. Despite the topic (!) we did a lot of laughing together - Im fact Elaines story at 22:00 is worth listening to! We talk about modern funerals, how your funeral is ABOUT you but not FOR you, why closure is not the goal and the healing power of ceremony and ritual. Link to podcast in profile.

Delighted to chat with the fabulous Soul Sister Conversations - The Podcast. These ladies are enlightened, smart and oh so fun. Have a listen as we chat about death, funerals and the importance of rituals.

Tears remind me that my heart feels and beats and that Im truly alive. But this is not my usual "Kleenex Alert." This is a WHOLE ROLL OF TOILET PAPER alert. But its also real and raw and so very beautiful. https://etcanada.com//james-blunt-breaks-down-in-tears-in/

New Year, new introduction (because things do change!) I was born on Christmas Eve 1965 (that has not changed) and Ive been a celebrant for 13 years. I love what I do so much. I still get butterflies before delivering a ceremony, but thats a good thing because they remind me that something special is about to happen. My nickname is WrongWay because - you guessed it - I get lost ALL the time (thank you GPS and Uber.) Car washes scare the bejesus out of me and I cannot pa...rallel park to save my life. I have no tattoos but ... should I? When I was a little girl, I looked like a little boy and wanted to be a singer when I grew up. I live in Toronto and together with my husband we have four grown children who we love to watch chase dreams and discover passions (my eldest son Iain and his love, Cassara, are wedding photographers @iainandcass and you should totally follow them.) The heart I wear on my sleeve serves me well but also gets me into trouble every now and then. The saddest part of my life is that my mom and now my dad (and even my dog if you can believe it) have dementia. Canada gave me my wings but my roots are buried in Scotland. My guilty pleasure is drinking coffee in bed on Sunday mornings while watching makeup tutorials on YouTube. I talk with my hands (a lot) and I like my martinis extra dry and just a little dirty. I love anything lemony (especially cake with buttercream frosting) and dark chocolate, red wine and the scent of vanilla make me very happy! Did I miss anything? See more

We close deals and books and windows but what exactly are we supposed to close at a funeral? https://linda-stuart.ca/are-we-dead-wrong-about-closure/

A special thank you to those who allowed and trusted me to create and hold space for your most heartfelt, heartbreaking and heart-opening moments. Thank you for sharing your stories and the privilege of being part of your life, which is so much richer because of you.

For those who are grieving, the brilliant glare of the holidays can shine a little too brightly on the reality that someone we love is no longer physically with us. Recently, I led two special ceremonies to help those who might be struggling or who just needed a place to go with their grief, love and memories. This holiday season, why not reach out to someone and help make this time of year a little less painful. Maybe arrange a coffee or lunch date or show up with some popcorn and a DVD. The older I get the more I realize that, truly, the greatest gift we have to offer is our time, so give generously. Grief is a journey of love that we will all take and when our time comes, we will be so grateful to those who hold our hand while we travel our path.

(Please read until the end!) Love is awful. Its awful. Its painful. Its frightening. It makes you doubt yourself, judge yourself, distance yourself from the other people in your life. It makes you selfish. It makes you creepy, makes you obsessed with your hair, makes you cruel, makes you say and do things you never thought you would do. Its all any of us want, and its hell when we get there. So no wonder its something we dont want to do on our own. I was taught if we...re born with love then life is about choosing the right place to put it. People talk about that a lot, feeling right, when it feels right its easy. But Im not sure thats true. It takes strength to know whats right. And love isnt something that weak people do. Being a romantic takes a hell of a lot of hope. I think what they mean is, when you find somebody that you love, it feels like hope. https://www.youtube.com/watch

I love this place. I love the way the evening sky dazzles as the sun kisses the horizon. I love the feel of my Loves hand wrapped securely around mine as we talk and walk the beach for miles. I love the rush of the ocean as it meets the shoreline again and again and again. I love that the biggest decision of the day is what book I should read. ... I love how the young girl joyfully cartwheels her way down the beach and the little boys are happy just digging sand. I love listening to Chris Botti in the candlelit lanai and dancing to Earth Wind and Fire in the kitchen. I love that flip flops are optional and that the beach breeze guarantees my messy bun is always a messy bun. I love that I have been here so many times, it feels like home. No wonder this place is my happy place. I love this place. See more

"When people ask me how long theyre going to grieve, I ask them, How long will your loved one be dead?" https://lithub.com/our-experience-of-grief-is-unique-as-a-/

Her dad may have swept me off my feet, but this girl stole my heart when I met her back in 2002. Her expressive little face was sweet and friendly and at age of only eight there was no doubt that (in the nicest way possible) she was a force to be reckoned with. Austyn, far beneath your exquisite inside-out beauty and impossibly long list of accomplishments, lives a woman I am so proud to call family. Your dad may be my hot fudge sundae, but you my dear, are the cherry-on-top. Happy Birthday @austyn_rose

An offering of being there I know there is no place to go with your grief other than to feel it and ride it like a raft until that rough sea brings you to a strange, familiar shore that is both where you have been and entirely new. I know nothing I can say will ease the pain beneath your breathing right now. We can only gain strength from sharing our experience, without second-guessing any of it.., just putting what weve been through into the small fire between us that has... kept us warm for years. I want to walk that pathless path together; through grief and death and faith and the mystery that lives beneath fairness and unfairness. It is beyond understanding and beyond all mapmaking. We can only climb our way like those before us into a clearing that begs for our acceptance if we are to know any peace. This mysterious path doesnt remove the grief or the pain, but somehow, like a knife dropped in the sea, our grief and pain lose their edge. Just know that you are both alone and not alone. Though I cant go with you to the cliff of all you feel inside, I am near. - Mark Nepo, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen

I am broken and so, probably, are you. I am torn and cracked and chipped and dented. But the beauty in broken things is that they dont need to be fixed, they just need to be loved. So keep your beautiful and broken things. I will keep Broken things: In my house ... There remains An honoured shelf On which I will Keep Broken Things. Their beauty is they need not ever be fixed. I will keep Broken Things. I will keep You: Pilgrim of Sorrow. I will keep Myself - Alice Walker See more

They gave their tomorrows so we could have today. #lestweforget #remembranceday2019 #gratefulheart

My Celebrant sister Marilyn Dion explains in this article what the heck a Death Cafe is!

My husband recently came back from a conference where he heard @erindawndavis give a talk and she referred to Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankls book, Mans Search for Meaning which I promptly added to my audible library. This particular passage really resonated. My mind still clung to the image of my wife. A thought crossed my mind: I didnt even know if she were still alive. I knew only one thing-which I have learned well by now: Love goes very far beyond the physical pe...rson of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self. Whether or not he is actually present, whether or not he is still alive at all, ceases somehow to be of importance. I did not know whether my wife was alive, and I had no means of finding out (during all my prison life there was no outgoing or incoming mail); but at that moment it ceased to matter. There was no need for me to know; nothing could touch the strength of my love, my thought, and the image of my beloved. Had I known then that my wife was dead, I think that I would still have given myself, undisturbed by that knowledge, to the contemplation of her image, and that my mental conversations with her would have been just as vivid and just as satisfying. Set me like a seal upon thy heart, love is as strong as death. See more

Grief is not just about death and losing someone or something we once had. Its about the relationship we never had. The baby we never birthed. The job we never got. The house we never bought. Grief is not just about the end - its also about never having had a beginning.

Calling all funeral professional peeps! If youre in the Toronto area and would like to attend a free workshop to help unlock your potential to transform ordinary funerals into EXTRAordinary experiences, DM me for more details!

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. Not because I picked up my new car but because when I got to the dealership, the rep I had been working with escorted me to the showroom presentation area and said, Your husband has a present for you. My first thought was that maybe there was a bouquet of flowers on the front seat but then she took me around to the front of the car and nodded towards the licence plate. Apparently, hes had them for over a year, patiently waiting for me to... trade in my old car (which Ive had since 2008!) Its true what they say about the little things being the big things: I was more excited about the plates than the car and this thoughtful gesture left me feeling more loved, supported and grateful than words can possibly express. UDAVID @davidroseborough @audimidtown #CLBRNT #besthusbandever #suchaluckygirl #itsthelittlethings #ilovecelebrants #mynewaudi See more