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.

Talking About Pet Loss in Therapy: What to Expect and How It Can Help

Talking About Pet Loss in Therapy: What to Expect and How It Can Help

When a beloved dog, cat, or other companion animal dies, the grief can feel just as intense as losing a person you love. Research backs this up: surveys show that...

Pet Loss Grief vs. Human Loss: Why the Pain Can Feel the Same

Pet Loss Grief vs. Human Loss: Why the Pain Can Feel the Same

If you are grieving a pet and wondering why it hurts as much as, or even more than, losing a person, you are not imagining it. For many people, the...

When a Loved One Dies Far Away: Repatriation, Paperwork, and Remote Mourning

When a Loved One Dies Far Away: Repatriation, Paperwork, and Remote Mourning

Dealing with the death of a family member or beloved pet far from home is a deeply challenging experience. Grief collides with logistics, unfamiliar regulations, and the question of whether...

When a Death Is Sudden: Coping with Shock, Autopsies, and Unanswered Questions

When a Death Is Sudden: Coping with Shock, Autopsies, and Unanswered Questions

A sudden phone call. A knock at the door. A message from a hospital, police officer, or neighbor that doesn’t feel real. When a death is unexpected, after an accident,...

Grief in the Workplace: How Managers and Coworkers Can Respond with Compassion

Grief in the Workplace: How Managers and Coworkers Can Respond with Compassion

Grief rarely waits for a convenient moment. It shows up in emails, video calls, empty desks, and quiet break rooms. As more families choose cremation and memorials unfold over weeks...

Creating a Memorial Space at Home: Altars, Photo Displays, and Everyday Reminders

Creating a Memorial Space at Home: Altars, Photo Displays, and Everyday Reminders

Home is where memories live, and sometimes the quiet spaces we pass every day remind us of those we’ve loved. A vacant chair, a leash by the door, or the...

Anticipatory Grief: Coping with Emotions When a Loved One Is Dying

Anticipatory Grief: Coping with Emotions When a Loved One Is Dying

When someone you love is approaching the end of life, grief can begin long before the final moment. This experience, called anticipatory grief, is the emotional journey of preparing for...

Sorting a Loved One’s Belongings: Where to Start and How to Make It Less Overwhelming

Sorting a Loved One’s Belongings: Where to Start and How to Make It Less Overwhelming

When someone you love dies, the house they leave behind can feel like a second wave of grief. Every drawer holds a story, every closet reflects a season of their...

Holiday Grief: Coping with Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Special Days After a Loss

Holiday Grief: Coping with Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Special Days After a Loss

There’s a strange moment that happens after a major loss: the calendar quietly turns, and suddenly you’re staring down the first birthday, the first anniversary, the first Christmas or New...

Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Memorial Options and Gentle Support

Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Memorial Options and Gentle Support

When a baby dies during pregnancy or shortly after birth, the grief can feel invisible to the world. People may offer well-meaning words like, “At least it was early,” or...

Child and Teen Grief: How to Support Younger People After a Death in the Family

Child and Teen Grief: How to Support Younger People After a Death in the Family

Grief in children and teenagers can be confusing and unpredictable. They often express loss differently than adults expect, shifting from laughter to tears, asking blunt questions, or acting out at...

Poems to Honor the Loss of a Loved One

Poems to Honor the Loss of a Loved One

Loss is deeply personal, touching each individual in unique ways. No two experiences of grief are the same, and the emotions it brings, sadness, confusion, anger, or even relief, can...

Supporting a Surviving Parent After the Other Parent Dies: Boundaries, Roles, and Emotional Care

Supporting a Surviving Parent After the Other Parent Dies: Boundaries, Roles, and Emotional Care

When one parent dies, it can feel as if the very foundation of your family has shifted beneath your feet. The grief is heavy, not just for the parent who...

How to Write and Deliver a Eulogy: Tips, Examples, and Handling Emotions

How to Write and Deliver a Eulogy: Tips, Examples, and Handling Emotions

Writing a eulogy can feel overwhelming, but it’s also a powerful way to honor a loved one and celebrate the unique life they lived. It allows you to share memories,...

Holding a Second Memorial or Anniversary Gathering: Remembering a Loved One Later On

Holding a Second Memorial or Anniversary Gathering: Remembering a Loved One Later On

Losing a loved one leaves a lasting void, and the grief that follows doesn’t always fit neatly into the days and weeks after a funeral. For many families, the idea...

Faith, Spirituality, and Doubt in Grief: When Beliefs Are Comforting—and When They Are Challenged

Faith, Spirituality, and Doubt in Grief: When Beliefs Are Comforting—and When They Are Challenged

Grief has a way of touching every layer of life, including whatever you believe (or don’t believe) about God, the soul, and what happens after death. For some people, a...