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.

Funeral Thank-You Cards: Who Should Receive One (Gifts, Meals, Flowers, Donations, and Help) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Thank-You Cards: Who Should Receive One (Gifts, Meals, Flowers, Donations, and Help)

When you’re grieving, thank-you notes can feel like a chore you didn’t volunteer for. You may be staring at a stack of cards, a list of names, and a calendar...

What to Write When Someone Gives Money or Food: Thank-You Scripts for Cards, Texts, and Emails - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Write When Someone Gives Money or Food: Thank-You Scripts for Cards, Texts, and Emails

When someone shows up after a death with a meal, a grocery delivery, a gift card, or a cash gift, the kindness can land in a complicated place. You may...

Is It Too Late to Send Funeral Thank-You Notes? Timing Guidelines That Work in Real Life - Funeral.com, Inc.

Is It Too Late to Send Funeral Thank-You Notes? Timing Guidelines That Work in Real Life

If you are asking whether it’s is it too late to send funeral thank you notes, you are probably carrying two things at once: gratitude for the people who showed...

Holiday Cards After a Death: What to Write (and How to Avoid Painful Phrases) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Holiday Cards After a Death: What to Write (and How to Avoid Painful Phrases)

The first holiday season after a death can feel like walking into a room that looks familiar, but doesn’t feel familiar at all. The calendar keeps moving, store windows keep...

“I Know How You Feel”: Common Empathy Traps (and Phrases That Feel More Supportive) - Funeral.com, Inc.

“I Know How You Feel”: Common Empathy Traps (and Phrases That Feel More Supportive)

Most people say “I know how you feel” for the same reason they say “I’m so sorry.” They want to reach across the distance that grief creates. They want you...

Client Condolence Messages: Professional Scripts for Emails, Cards, and Calls - Funeral.com, Inc.

Client Condolence Messages: Professional Scripts for Emails, Cards, and Calls

When a client experiences a death, most professionals feel the same tension: you want to be human, but you do not want to overstep. You want to acknowledge the loss,...

Neighbor Condolences: What to Say (and Do) When Someone on Your Street Loses a Loved One - Funeral.com, Inc.

Neighbor Condolences: What to Say (and Do) When Someone on Your Street Loses a Loved One

When someone on your street loses a loved one, it can feel like grief moves closer to home. You may not be part of their immediate circle, but you are...

Coworker Condolence Messages: Scripts for Slack, Text, Cards, and Team Emails - Funeral.com, Inc.

Coworker Condolence Messages: Scripts for Slack, Text, Cards, and Team Emails

Most people want to say something kind when a coworker is grieving. The problem is that work adds pressure, privacy boundaries, and the fear of “getting it wrong.” If you’re...

Instagram Condolences: DM vs. Public Comment (What’s More Respectful and When) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Instagram Condolences: DM vs. Public Comment (What’s More Respectful and When)

You open Instagram and see it: a photo you recognize, a name you know, a caption that makes your stomach drop. Sometimes it’s a formal announcement. Sometimes it’s a single...

Facebook Condolences: Is It OK to Use Emojis? Comment Etiquette and Examples - Funeral.com, Inc.

Facebook Condolences: Is It OK to Use Emojis? Comment Etiquette and Examples

Facebook can feel like the fastest doorway to support: someone posts sad news, friends and family gather in the comments, and a community forms in real time. That speed is...

Short Sympathy Text Scripts: 30+ Sincere Messages for Friends, Family, and Coworkers - Funeral.com, Inc.

Short Sympathy Text Scripts: 30+ Sincere Messages for Friends, Family, and Coworkers

If you have ever stared at your phone after hearing hard news and thought, “I don’t want to say the wrong thing,” you are not alone. Grief can make language...

What to Write in a Funeral Guestbook: Short Messages, Memories, and Examples - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Write in a Funeral Guestbook: Short Messages, Memories, and Examples

A funeral guestbook can look simple on the table—just a pen, a book, and a blank page—but it often becomes one of the most reread keepsakes a family owns. Months...

“In Lieu of Flowers” Wording: Donation Language That Feels Warm - Funeral.com, Inc.

“In Lieu of Flowers” Wording: Donation Language That Feels Warm

The phrase “in lieu of flowers” is small, and yet it often ends up carrying a surprising amount of emotion. Families use it because they are trying to make the...

Thank-You Note Template After Cremation: Short Examples That Work - Funeral.com, Inc.

Thank-You Note Template After Cremation: Short Examples That Work

After a cremation or memorial, gratitude can feel strangely complicated. You may be deeply thankful for the people who showed up, who fed your family, who handled logistics, who donated,...

What to Say When Someone Dies: What Helps, What to Avoid - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Say When Someone Dies: What Helps, What to Avoid

If you are searching what to say when someone dies, you are probably in the same emotional knot most people find themselves in: you care, you want to show up,...

Halva in Mourning Traditions: A Middle Eastern Comfort Sweet and When It’s Served - Funeral.com, Inc.

Halva in Mourning Traditions: A Middle Eastern Comfort Sweet and When It’s Served

In many households across the Middle East and neighboring regions, grief doesn’t arrive alone. It arrives with footsteps at the door, with neighbors who come even when they don’t know...