Shona E Finnie Civil Celebrant

17/06/2026

Separation (by W.S. Merwin)

Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.

15/06/2026

Nothing Gold Can Stay (by Robert Frost)

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay.

10/06/2026

Grief is the echo of a love that refuses to vanish.
When the world grows quiet, their memory speaks the loudest.

08/06/2026

Memories arrive softly, like visitors who need no words.

07/06/2026

When we gather to honour a life, we remind one another that no one carries the weight alone.

Thank you to every family who welcomes me into their most delicate moments. It is a privilege I never take lightly.

26/05/2026

I light a candle and the flame trembles, as if even fire remembers who is missing.

24/05/2026

Be patient with yourself. Grief, love, and growth unfold at their own pace.

20/05/2026

16/05/2026

❣ I've been meaning to write this for a long time. The truth is, every time I tried, the tears wouldn't let me, but today feels different. Today I can breathe, and I can say...
THANK YOU SHONA 🩷

There are no words big enough for a day like that, but somehow, you found them.
After the traditional Italian mass, when we were all still carrying the weight of what we had just said goodbye to, you my dear friend stepped forward and did something remarkable. You spoke about my little sister, the real her, the one we all knew and loved.

Our Italian friends and family told me afterwards that in that moment, they finally felt they truly knew her, and that her life, not just her passing, had been celebrated. That is the gift of a celebrant, and that is the gift of my extraordinary friend, Shona.

Thank you for giving my sister the send-off she deserved. Thank you for making a room full of grieving people feel grateful for having had her in our lives.

We will never forget it. 🤍
Love, Tina

16/05/2026

✨ What is a Funeral Celebrant? When someone dies, their family doesn't have to choose between a stranger reading a script or a religious service that didn't reflect who their loved one was. They can choose a celebrant ... someone who sits with them, listens, and then tells that person's story with warmth, care, and dignity.

The stories are always different. Always beautiful. Always worth telling properly. A celebrant makes sure no one is sent off with the wrong words. It's one of the most quietly extraordinary things a person can do. 🕊️