The Funeral.com Journal

Resources to help you create tributes as unique as the people (and pets) you love. Learn how engraving, photos, colors, and symbols add meaning; discover scattering rituals and at-home memorial ideas. We focus on the details that matter—because small choices can carry a lifetime of comfort.

Should Children Be Present for Pet Euthanasia? Age-Appropriate Options and How to Prepare

Should Children Be Present for Pet Euthanasia? Age-Appropriate Options and How to Prepare

Most families don’t imagine they’ll ever have to weigh this question: should a child be present when a beloved pet is euthanized? And yet, it arrives in real life the...

Should You Stay in the Room During Pet Euthanasia? A Compassionate Guide to the Emotional Choice

Should You Stay in the Room During Pet Euthanasia? A Compassionate Guide to the Emotional Choice

There are decisions in life that feel like they belong to someone else—choices you never expected to make, in a room you never wanted to sit in. If you’re facing...

Signs Your Cat Is in Pain: Why Cats Hide It (and the Quiet Behaviors That Give It Away)

Signs Your Cat Is in Pain: Why Cats Hide It (and the Quiet Behaviors That Give It Away)

A cat can live beside you for years and still keep secrets. They can be playful in the morning and withdrawn by afternoon, and it’s easy to chalk it up...

Decorating a Cardboard Cremation Container: Safe Paints, Meaningful Art, and What to Avoid

Decorating a Cardboard Cremation Container: Safe Paints, Meaningful Art, and What to Avoid

Most families don’t expect the cremation container to become part of the story. It’s often described in plain, practical terms—an “alternative container,” sometimes a simple cardboard box—something you choose quickly...

Vanitas Still Life: Why Rotting Fruit, Wilting Flowers, and Skulls Show Up in ‘Death Art’

Vanitas Still Life: Why Rotting Fruit, Wilting Flowers, and Skulls Show Up in ‘Death Art’

There’s a particular kind of quiet you feel when you stand in front of a vanitas still life. The room may be full of people, but your attention narrows to...

Planning a Memorial in a Restaurant or Venue: Practical Considerations

Planning a Memorial in a Restaurant or Venue: Practical Considerations

When you’re grieving, “hosting” can feel like the wrong word. You’re not throwing an event—you’re trying to create a steady place where people can show up, eat something, share a...

Memorial Service Planning After Cremation: How to Structure It

Memorial Service Planning After Cremation: How to Structure It

Planning a memorial service after cremation can feel like standing in two realities at once. In one reality, you’re grieving, trying to get through ordinary mornings with an extraordinary absence....

The 3-Day Home Vigil: A Simple Plan for Visitors, Quiet Hours, Meals, and Shared Responsibilities

The 3-Day Home Vigil: A Simple Plan for Visitors, Quiet Hours, Meals, and Shared Responsibilities

There is a particular kind of hush that arrives after a death. Even if you expected it, even if you were “prepared,” the home can feel like it has changed...

Dressing the Body for a Home Vigil: Practical Tips for Rigor Mortis, Clothing, and Dignity

Dressing the Body for a Home Vigil: Practical Tips for Rigor Mortis, Clothing, and Dignity

Updated: January 17, 2026 There is a particular kind of intimacy that happens in the hours after a death. The home may be quiet, or filled with people moving softly...

Room Temperature for Home Vigils: Using Air Conditioning, Fans, and Simple Setups for Comfort

Room Temperature for Home Vigils: Using Air Conditioning, Fans, and Simple Setups for Comfort

The first time someone reaches for the thermostat after a death, it can feel strangely ordinary—like you’re doing something small when everything is anything but. A family member stands in...

Balloon Releases: Environmental Harm, Wildlife Risk, and Memorial Ideas That Don’t Create Litter

Balloon Releases: Environmental Harm, Wildlife Risk, and Memorial Ideas That Don’t Create Litter

In the days after a death, families often reach for symbols—small actions that can carry the weight of what words cannot. A balloon release is one of the most common:...

Lantern Releases: Fire Safety, Legal Restrictions, and Low‑Risk Glow Alternatives

Lantern Releases: Fire Safety, Legal Restrictions, and Low‑Risk Glow Alternatives

There’s a particular kind of hush that settles over a family when the “official” part of the day is over. The service has ended. The last hug has been given....

Correcting a Death Certificate: When It Matters and How It Affects Timelines

Correcting a Death Certificate: When It Matters and How It Affects Timelines

Death certificates are meant to be factual records, but they are often created in the middle of a difficult week: a family is grieving, a funeral home is coordinating permits,...

Death Certificates: How Many to Request and Why

Death Certificates: How Many to Request and Why

Not long after a death, someone will ask you to make a decision that feels impossible to estimate: “How many certified death certificates would you like?” If you’re juggling grief...

Funeral Potatoes: The Mormon Comfort Food Tradition and Why It Shows Up at So Many Meals

Funeral Potatoes: The Mormon Comfort Food Tradition and Why It Shows Up at So Many Meals

There are foods that arrive with fanfare—perfectly plated, served at the “right” temperature, introduced like they’ve been rehearsing for the moment. And then there are foods that arrive quietly, wrapped...

Cremation Laws in Rhode Island (2026): Waiting Periods, Permits, Cremation Authorization & Next-of-Kin Order

Cremation Laws in Rhode Island (2026): Waiting Periods, Permits, Cremation Authorization & Next-of-Kin Order

If you are planning a cremation in Rhode Island, the hardest part is rarely the paperwork itself. It is the timing, the uncertainty, and the quiet pressure to “do it...