You are sitting at the dinner table fondly remembering dad on his birthday. It’s been a year since he passed away, you want to do something to make this day special. This makes you think ‘How do I honor my dead father?’

The loss of a parent can leave a big void in your life. At any age, losing a parent is difficult. They are our support, our guides, our shoulder to cry on and our hug on a bad day. But just because they are gone, doesn’t mean we don’t remember them.

 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “When a great man dies, for years the light he leaves behind him, lies on the paths of men.” This quote expresses how you all want your father’s legacy and name to live on. Doing something special on this day will add more meaning to your father’s birthday. The best way of remembering your dad on his birthday is to honor him. Here are some simple things you can do to make this day memorable.

Do Something Creative

A great way to remembering your dad on his birthday would be to wish him. What we mean by this is, write a heartfelt letter expressing how you feel about his absence, how much you miss him and how the last year has changed. Pretend he is going to read it and express everything you feel.

Alternately you can write an email, a poem, make a drawing or even paint a picture. The idea behind this is to express how you feel and honor him with a heartfelt and creative message.

Make a Collage

If you want to relive all good memories you shared with your father, make a collage. This is a great way of remembering and honoring him on this special day. Search for all old photos, letters, poem, emails, messages and so on and make a wonderful collage with it.

Remembering Your Dad by Following Their Birthday Traditions

Another wonderful way to honor your dead father would be to celebrate his birthday the way he usually would. Remembering how your dad celebrated his birthday would be a great way to keep traditions alive. If he liked to just cut a cake, order his favorite cake and cut it. If he liked a grand celebration, plan a party with his close friends. In this way, you will truly honor him and his legacy.

Plan a Get Together

If you do not want to plan a grand celebration, you can have a small get together. You can call close family members and friends. This is sometimes known as a memorial meet. As the name suggest, this is a get together to remember fond memories of the deceased. In other words, you will get an opportunity to honor him.

A get together with family and friends is also a wonderful way of remembering dad on his birthday. If someone is grieving, this method is recommended to help them come to terms with the loss.

Donate to a Charity on Your Dad’s Birthday

What better way of remembering your dad on his birthday than bringing a smile on someone’s face? Donating to the less fortunate has a lot of benefits. Firstly, you are helping someone in need of help. Secondly, you are honoring your dead father by celebrating with people who have no one. Lastly, they will truly value what you give them and bless you for your kindness. If you start this tradition, not only you, but also the people you are celebrating with will remember him. Some great options of charity are donating to an old age home, orphanage or sponsoring a child’s education.

Volunteer

If you are unable to donate, you can consider the option of volunteering. Think of things your father was passionate about. It could have been nature, animals or a social cause. If possible, volunteer in an NGO which supports the cause. A fun way to volunteer would be to run a marathon, plant a tree or plan a pet adoption drive on his birthday. As a result of this, you will share your father’s memories with others. Just as you are remembering your dad on his birthday, others will also do the same.

Go on a Trip

Did your father ever want to travel? If yes, plan a trip to the destination he wanted to visit but couldn’t. This will give the trip more meaning and you can do something that he enjoyed. In fact, if the whole family plans the trip together, if will be a great form of bonding for everyone.

When you are at the destination, you can have a small celebration in his honor. Moreover, this could be the start of a tradition of remembering your dad on his birthday.

Live a Day like Your Father

You may think, ‘What better way to honor my dead father than living the way he did?” If you have a busy schedule and can’t plan any of the above, you can take the day off and live the way he did. This could be going to his favourite restaurant, listening to his favourite song, meeting his friends or even visiting his workplace.

Though this sounds very simple, it has a very deep and thoughtful meaning to it. First and foremost, you will have the honor of living like your father. Secondly, you will understand life from his perspective. Lastly, you will get to appreciate the small joys of life. This will not only help you in remembering your dad on his birthday, but truly understanding how he looked at life.

Plant a Tree

Lastly, on your dad’s birthday, consider planting his favourite tree or sapling. A tree planted in honor of your dead father will be a living memory of him. Look at it this way, if you plant a tree remembering your dad on his birthday, it will last for years to come.

You can take care of it, nurture it and see it grow over the years. Whenever you miss your dad, you can go visit it. Even though your dad may not be with you, you will still feel close to him.

It is natural to feel anger when dealing with loss of a loved one. If you are still coping with the loss of your father and feeling angry, check out our self-help course, “DBT for Anger“.