The christmas advent
The Online Cemetery that talks back
Alice Terry has always loved Christmas, from when she was a small child, right up until now. The trees, the colourful lights everywhere, singing carols and being mesmerised by wafts of warm breath in her cold hands and maybe even a snowflake or two. It’s a time for pure joy and for giving, giving to others, giving to those that you love most. Perspectives have changed along the way as time has marched on – Alice is a little older and is now in warmer climes, a different experience altogether. Some of those we love the most are, of course, no longer here, not in the physical sense anyway. Everything changes – that is the one constant.
Alice Terry has always loved Christmas, from when she was a small child, right up until now. The trees, the colourful lights everywhere, singing carols and being mesmerised by wafts of warm breath in her cold hands and maybe even a snowflake or two. It’s a time for pure joy and for giving, giving to others, giving to those that you love most. Perspectives have changed along the way as time has marched on – Alice is a little older and is now in warmer climes, a different experience altogether. Some of those we love the most are, of course, no longer here, not in the physical sense anyway. Everything changes – that is the one constant.
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Another thing that has been a constant is the advent calendar. Alice loved, as a little girl opening a door every day to reveal, not chocolate, but some magical connection to Christmas. She is still big on them now and has, “hopefully passed that on to my children”. Alice is also hopeful every year that she receives an advent calendar of some description. “My boys have a different kind of advent where they pull sticks out of a chimney every day, lowering Santa as he descends, gradually, until he appears in the fireplace on Christmas Eve”.
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So it seemed only fitting that Alice should have a dream one night, a dream of creating her own unique advent, using her own unique gift and talent. Now that all seems fairly normal until you understand that Alice Terry is a Psychic Medium, a spiritual counsellor with a global client base. Originally from Scotland, Alice is now firmly ensconced, changing lives within the Fleurieu community, South of Adelaide.
But before the advent of the advent however, 10 years ago, Alice had an epiphany, a guidance, that she should create a unique and special place, an online cemetery no less – a website where people could post a photo of their loved one’s – a Wall of Remembrance where they could receive messages from beyond the grave – an online cemetery that actually talks back. After all, as Alice says’ “they aren’t where you buried them, they are all around you, watching everything and joining in every celebration, particularly Christmas. |
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Roll forward 4 years and Alice hit on the idea of giving back, “giving to those we love most” and what better way than to create an advent of Christmas messages, a message from a loved one that has passed, every day leading up to Christmas – the reaction and response has been heart-warming and perfect for the time of year.
“I’m just so honoured to be able to make a difference to other people’s Christmas’s in such a positive way. Many of my messages mean so much and say things like, “lay me a place at the table, I’ll be there or don’t forget to raise a glass for me”. The messages can just bring Christmas alive again for many people”.
“I’m just so honoured to be able to make a difference to other people’s Christmas’s in such a positive way. Many of my messages mean so much and say things like, “lay me a place at the table, I’ll be there or don’t forget to raise a glass for me”. The messages can just bring Christmas alive again for many people”.
Alice is now in her sixth year of her Wall of Remembrance advents and still loves every minute. She never knows who she is going to choose and deliberately avoids knowing who the loved one belongs to so that she can be just as surprised as the person receiving the message. Christmas is a truly joyful time.