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.

How to Ask Someone to Speak at a Memorial: Wording That Reduces Pressure - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Ask Someone to Speak at a Memorial: Wording That Reduces Pressure

If you’re planning a memorial or celebration of life, there’s a moment that can feel surprisingly hard: the part where you reach out and ask someone to speak. You may...

How to Write an Inscription for a Marker: Short Wording Examples - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Write an Inscription for a Marker: Short Wording Examples

There are a few tasks in grief and funeral planning that look simple on a checklist and then feel unexpectedly heavy when you sit down to do them. Writing an...

How to Write a Note to Include With Keepsake Urns: Gentle Phrasing - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Write a Note to Include With Keepsake Urns: Gentle Phrasing

There are moments in grief where the “practical” choice carries a surprising amount of emotional weight. Sharing a portion of cremated remains is one of those moments. You might be...

Eulogy Structure for Nervous Speakers: A Simple Outline That Works - Funeral.com, Inc.

Eulogy Structure for Nervous Speakers: A Simple Outline That Works

You don’t have to be “good at public speaking” to give a eulogy. You just have to be willing to show up and tell the truth about someone you loved....

Gold Star Families: Who They Are, Support Protocols, and How to Show Respect - Funeral.com, Inc.

Gold Star Families: Who They Are, Support Protocols, and How to Show Respect

The people who become a Gold Star Family do not choose the title. It arrives in the moment a door opens, a phone rings, or a uniform appears on a front...

Rastafarian Views on Death: Why Some Avoid the Word ‘Death’ and What They Believe Instead - Funeral.com, Inc.

Rastafarian Views on Death: Why Some Avoid the Word ‘Death’ and What They Believe Instead

The first time many people encounter Rastafari language around loss, it can feel like stepping into a room where the usual vocabulary no longer fits. You may hear a family...

Scripting Condolences: Social Stories and Simple Phrases for Autistic Adults - Funeral.com, Inc.

Scripting Condolences: Social Stories and Simple Phrases for Autistic Adults

When someone dies, most people want to show care. Then the moment arrives—at a wake, in a text thread, in a sympathy card—and the words feel stuck. If you are...

When Cardinals Appear, Loved Ones Are Near: Meaning + Comforting Quotes - Funeral.com, Inc.

When Cardinals Appear, Loved Ones Are Near: Meaning + Comforting Quotes

The saying “when cardinals appear, loved ones are near” shows up in grief because it’s simple, vivid, and emotionally usable. A bright red bird in a quiet moment can feel...

How to Offer Condolences: 10 Practical Tips + Sample Messages for Texts and Cards - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Offer Condolences: 10 Practical Tips + Sample Messages for Texts and Cards

Most people want to say the right thing after a death—and then freeze. You don’t want to intrude, you don’t want to make it worse, and you may worry your...

When Cardinals Appear: Comforting Grief Quotes, Sayings, and What They Mean - Funeral.com, Inc.

When Cardinals Appear: Comforting Grief Quotes, Sayings, and What They Mean

Cardinals show up in grief conversations because they’re easy to recognize, memorable, and often present year-round. When someone is missing a loved one, a bright red bird at the right...

Cardinal Facts, Myths, and Quotes: What “Cardinals Appear” Really Means - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cardinal Facts, Myths, and Quotes: What “Cardinals Appear” Really Means

When someone says, “A cardinal showed up right when I needed it,” they’re usually talking about two things at once: a real bird in a real moment, and the meaning...

Cardinal Bird Symbolism After Death: Songs, Stories, and Sympathy Quotes - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cardinal Bird Symbolism After Death: Songs, Stories, and Sympathy Quotes

Northern cardinals are hard to miss. The red is vivid, the silhouette is familiar, and the song is one many people can recognize without even looking up. That combination—visibility, sound,...

When a Cardinal Appears: 50+ ‘Loved One Is Near’ Quotes and Sayings - Funeral.com, Inc.

When a Cardinal Appears: 50+ ‘Loved One Is Near’ Quotes and Sayings

For many people in grief, a red cardinal showing up at the “right” moment can feel like a small kind of comfort—almost like a reminder that love doesn’t disappear, even...

Celebration of Life Quotes: Uplifting Words for Tributes, Programs, and Speeches - Funeral.com, Inc.

Celebration of Life Quotes: Uplifting Words for Tributes, Programs, and Speeches

A celebration of life often asks for a different kind of language than a traditional funeral. The tone is still tender, but many families want it to feel warm, hopeful,...

Cardinal ‘Loved One Is Near’ Messages: Short Texts and Sympathy Quotes - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cardinal ‘Loved One Is Near’ Messages: Short Texts and Sympathy Quotes

When someone is grieving, they often cling to small moments that feel like comfort. For some people, a red cardinal showing up at the right time feels like a gentle...

What to Text When Someone Dies: 40+ Condolence Messages and Do’s & Don’ts - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Text When Someone Dies: 40+ Condolence Messages and Do’s & Don’ts

Texting after a death can feel awkward because it’s fast, and grief is not. You might worry a message will sound small next to the loss, or that you’ll interrupt...