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.

Finding Pet Loss Support for Disenfranchised Grief - Funeral.com, Inc.

Finding Pet Loss Support for Disenfranchised Grief

If you’re grieving a pet and it feels like the world expects you to “move on” quickly, you’re not imagining that pressure. Pet grief can be profound, but it’s often...

Disenfranchised Grief: Mourning an Ex-Spouse or Affair Partner (and Why It Hurts So Much) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Disenfranchised Grief: Mourning an Ex-Spouse or Affair Partner (and Why It Hurts So Much)

Some losses are met with casseroles and condolences. Others are met with silence, sideways looks, or a tight little pause that tells you, “This is not the kind of grief...

Relief Guilt: Why It’s OK to Feel Relieved When Someone Dies - Funeral.com, Inc.

Relief Guilt: Why It’s OK to Feel Relieved When Someone Dies

Losing someone you cared for deeply is one of life’s most profound experiences, and it can stir a mix of emotions that are confusing and intense. For many people, especially...

Secondary Losses After Death: Money, Housing, Friendships, and Status Changes No One Warns You About - Funeral.com, Inc.

Secondary Losses After Death: Money, Housing, Friendships, and Status Changes No One Warns You About

In the days after a death, most families expect grief to be the hardest part. And it is. But what often surprises people is how quickly grief is joined by...

Delayed Grief: Why It Can Hit Months or Years Later—and What to Do When It Finally Lands - Funeral.com, Inc.

Delayed Grief: Why It Can Hit Months or Years Later—and What to Do When It Finally Lands

There is a version of grief that looks “fine” from the outside. You show up. You make decisions. You answer texts. You handle paperwork. You get through the service and...

Grieving a Pet in Secret: What to Do When You Feel Ashamed of Your Grief - Funeral.com, Inc.

Grieving a Pet in Secret: What to Do When You Feel Ashamed of Your Grief

There’s a particular kind of loneliness that can settle in after a pet dies—one that doesn’t come only from the empty bed, the quiet hallway, or the way your body...

Why Losing a Dog Can Feel Worse Than Losing a Relative: The Psychology Behind the Pain - Funeral.com, Inc.

Why Losing a Dog Can Feel Worse Than Losing a Relative: The Psychology Behind the Pain

If you’ve lost a dog and found yourself thinking, “Why does this hurt so much—sometimes even more than losing certain relatives?” you’re not broken, dramatic, or disloyal to your family....

Secondary Guilt: When You Cry More for Your Pet Than a Passed Relative - Funeral.com, Inc.

Secondary Guilt: When You Cry More for Your Pet Than a Passed Relative

There’s a particular kind of shame that can sneak in after a loss—quiet, sharp, and surprisingly persistent. It’s the feeling that your grief has somehow “betrayed” your family. You might...

Disenfranchised Grief: Why Society Doesn't Respect Pet Loss - Funeral.com, Inc.

Disenfranchised Grief: Why Society Doesn't Respect Pet Loss

There’s a particular kind of loneliness that can settle in after a pet dies. Not the loneliness of an empty leash hook or the silence where paws used to click...

Why People Feel Embarrassed About Pet Grief - Funeral.com, Inc.

Why People Feel Embarrassed About Pet Grief

The first time someone says, “It was just a dog,” or “At least it wasn’t a person,” it can land like a small betrayal—especially when your whole day has been...