All You Need Is Love

Coffins And Confetti by Ruth Graham is a wonderful look at life following a Birmingham celebrant as we see funerals, weddings and general life observances.

Ruth Graham has a very personable style that feels like reading a letter from a dear friend. As we glimpse snapshots of her life, we feel incredibly privileged to see into her heart and soul. She writes with clarity and honesty, using humor too.

Funerals may be sad or seen as a celebration of life as the deceased’s family and friends remember them with love and laughter.

The funerals of the very young or those who have taken their own lives are very sad.

Marriage is the opposite side of the coin. It is a happy event if marrying for the right reasons.

Ruth Graham has a delightful open style that will appeal to all ages.

We see that life is not always rosy but if you have love, you are rich beyond measure. “We’ve only got the basics materially but… we’re rich people in love and support. Nothing else matters”, is a quote from a husband married for sixty five years.

This is an honest, enjoyable and entertaining read.

I will leave you with the poem from page forty five called The Train Of Life by Marv Hardin

Life is like a journey on a train, with its stations,

With changes of routes and accidents,

We board this train when we are born,

And our parents are the ones who got our ticket.

We believe they will always travel on this train with us.

However at some station, our parents will get off the train

Leaving us alone on this journey.

As time goes by other passengers will board the train,

Many of whom will be significant;

Our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life.

Many will get off during the journey

And leave a permanent vacuum in our lives.

Many will go unnoticed:

We won’t even know when they vacate their seats and get off the train.

This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, expectations,

Hellos, goodbyes and farewells.

A good journey is helping, loving and having a

Good relationship with all our co-passengers making

Sure that we give our best to make the

Journey comfortable.

The mystery of this fabulous journey is we do not know

At which station we ourselves are going to get off,

So we must live in the best way, adjust, forgive

And offer the best of what we have to give.

It’s important to do this because when the time comes for us

To leave our seat we should leave behind beautiful memories

For those who will continue their journey.

I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON

Coffins & Confetti (A Celebrant’s Memoir Of Life, Loss & Love)

Following the success of her first book, A Thousand Goodbyes, writer Ruth Graham invites us to join her on the next part of her journey as an Independent Civil Celebrant. She honestly believed she’d seen it all – apparently not!

Once again, we’re exposed to the best, worst (and funniest) examples of human behaviour in Ruth’s latest memoir,

Coffins & Confetti, but this time the tears and laughter are set against the poignant backdrop of the writer’s own search for true and lasting love.

Written in conversational style with trademark humour, Coffins & Confetti takes the reader on a journey encompassing the darkest corners of despair, peppered with some of the funniest true-life stories you will ever hear.

A letter to life, a memo to mortality but above all, a testament to tenacity, Coffins & Confetti is a book which oozes humanity and hope with the message that if you hang on in there long enough, things will always turn around …

Purchase Links

Author Bio – 

With an eclectic background in music; acting; presenting; comedy; journalism; writing; counselling and teaching (to name just a few careers), Ruth Graham could never have guessed all the skills she’d acquired would be needed for her final role – that of funeral and wedding celebrant.

With no two days ever the same, Ruth travels all over the West Midlands to meet grieving families or happy couples, in preparation for the happiest and saddest days of peoples’ lives.

It’s a huge role, with so many expectations attached – and a lot of pressure to get things right. But as Ruth says, it’s also a huge privilege to be able to bring comfort in times of sadness, or to create something really beautiful and unique for a couple lucky enough to have found their match.

That said, in the great improv show of life, everything doesn’t always run smoothly because it involves humans at their best and worst. The result is endless amounts of material and two books to her credit so far.

The first one ‘A Thousand Goodbyes’ (The Surprising Life Of A Funeral Celebrant) garnered fantastic reviews: Hilarious Un-Putdownable /Moving/Touching/Must Read) from bloggers, industry professionals and the general public.

Ruth is hoping the same for Coffins & Confetti but either way she intends to keep working as a celebrant knowing she’s making a real difference to others’ lives. 

Social Media Links –

Instagram: @ https://www.instagram.com/Celebrantruthg/

Twitter         @CelebrantRuthG