For thousands of years human beings have felt a need to celebrate the major events in life such as births, marriages and deaths. For those of us who do not hold any religious belief it is no less important to mark these special times and I am delighted to be part of the British Humanist Association network of Celebrants who can help you to create a ceremony that is right for you and for those close to you. I feel it is a real privilege to be with you.
We moved to a small village in Herefordshire from Cambridgeshire after my husband, Ian, retired in 2005. We have three children, two girls and a boy who are all married. More recently, our grandchildren have brought a new dimension into our lives. Apart from involvement in village life, we like gardening, conservation, cooking, walking and music (and chocolate).
My questioning of whether or not there could be a god really came to a head during my training to be a State Registered Nurse and I have never looked back although it was many years before I came to join the BHA. I was involved with the British Red Cross both as a volunteer and as a staff member for over 25 years and felt very much at home with the seven principles within which the movement works worldwide, including putting human beings first, caring for the most in need, treating all equally and being neutral.
Everyone who attended our daughter’s humanist wedding could not help being moved by the special and personal nature of the ceremony. This spurred me into finding out more about the BHA, which I joined shortly afterwards. It was then that I discovered that I had been a humanist most of my life, without realising it. Since my teens, I had believed that this life was all we had and that the way to make the most of it was by caring for others and doing what we could to make others happy. So in 2007, I decided to train with the BHA as a Celebrant and started practising early in 2008.
Humanist Ceremonies
Humanist ceremonies are non-religious, and so do not contain hymns or prayers. They are flexible, unique and personal to you, with no set format or ritual. Often they include music, readings and personal vows or promises and we encourage the involvement of family and friends as appropriate to the event. Occasionally they may also reflect different cultural origins or beliefs.
“Happiness is the only good . . . the time to be happy is now,
and the way to be happy is to make others so.”
Robert Green Ingersoll