Friends of Hospice will host the Tree of Lights in remembrance of lost loved ones.

The Tree of Lights gives the community a safe place to honor their loved ones, Friends of Hospice executive director Annie Pillar said.

“I think it’s important to stop and pause to remember those that we have loved who have died,” she said, “Perhaps doing that in the community can be even more healing for us.”

The Whitman Samplers Quilt and Grammy G’s will make ornaments with the names of each person to be remembered. Each name will be read aloud, and then the tree will be lit.

“Sometimes after we have loved someone and they have died, people don’t say their name anymore and it’s really healing to hear their name,” Pillar said. “We like to hear the names of people we have loved.”

The candlelight ceremony represents the lives of the community’s loved ones.

“It’s a solemn experience; but, in a way, it’s joyful,” Pillar said. “It’s bringing light to grief.”

After the lighting of the tree, attendees have a chance to find the ornaments of their loved one and take it home to put on their own tree. During this time, they can also visit with one another and take time to reflect on or share about their loved ones, Pillar said.

“I think they get a time to acknowledge that these people were important to us, and we remember them for how they shaped who we are,” she said. “It’s powerful when we can sit together with someone else that knew the person we loved and share about them. It’s very healing.”

The Pullman Trees of Light will take place on 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Bishop Place Independent Living Apartments’ Social Room. The Colfax Trees of Light will take place on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Whitman County Library. Admission is free and open to the public.

Reporting by Mariah Inman