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.

Grieving a Parent vs Grieving a Spouse or Partner: Why Each Loss Can Feel Different

Grieving a Parent vs Grieving a Spouse or Partner: Why Each Loss Can Feel Different

When someone you love dies, the words you reach for often feel too small. If you’ve lost a parent, a spouse, or both, you may notice that your grief changes...

Best Funeral Poems and How They Fit with Cremation Urns, Ashes, and Everyday Grief

Best Funeral Poems and How They Fit with Cremation Urns, Ashes, and Everyday Grief

When someone dies, the questions come in layers. There are the practical ones about paperwork, phone calls, and funeral planning. There are the financial ones, like how much does cremation...

Blended Families and Step-Relationships: Navigating Grief, Roles, and Funeral Decisions

Blended Families and Step-Relationships: Navigating Grief, Roles, and Funeral Decisions

Grief within blended families and step-relationships brings unique challenges that go beyond the usual complexities of mourning. These families often include multiple layers of connection, stepchildren who may feel both...

Living Alone After the Death of a Spouse: Safety, Routine, and Rebuilding Daily Life

Living Alone After the Death of a Spouse: Safety, Routine, and Rebuilding Daily Life

Adjusting to life after the loss of a partner can be one of the most challenging transitions a person faces. The quiet of an empty home, once filled with shared...

How to Support a Grieving Friend: What Helps, What Hurts, and Small Gestures That Matter

How to Support a Grieving Friend: What Helps, What Hurts, and Small Gestures That Matter

Supporting someone you love through grief is one of the most tender acts of friendship. When a friend loses someone dear, the world feels different for them, quieter, heavier, and...

Grief Support Groups and Counseling: Finding Help That Matches Your Needs

Grief Support Groups and Counseling: Finding Help That Matches Your Needs

Grief changes your world in ways you never expected. It shapes your thoughts, alters routines, and influences how you move through each day. During this time, finding the right support...

Coping with the Loss of a Pet: Grief Stages, Support, and Memorial Ideas

Coping with the Loss of a Pet: Grief Stages, Support, and Memorial Ideas

If you are reading this because you are coping with the loss of a pet, please know you’re not alone. For so many people, pets are family. Saying goodbye to...

Coping with the Loss of a Dog: Grief, Rainbow Bridge Rituals, and Memorial Ideas

Coping with the Loss of a Dog: Grief, Rainbow Bridge Rituals, and Memorial Ideas

The quiet paw prints that once echoed through your home are now a tender memory. The wag of a tail, the warm snuggle by your side, the excited greeting at...

Dating and New Relationships After the Death of a Spouse: Guilt, Timing, and Talking with Family

Dating and New Relationships After the Death of a Spouse: Guilt, Timing, and Talking with Family

If you are reading this, there is a good chance you’ve already lived through one of the hardest things a person can face: the death of a spouse or partner....

The Rainbow Bridge Poem Explained: Comfort, Origins, and How It Helps with Pet Loss

The Rainbow Bridge Poem Explained: Comfort, Origins, and How It Helps with Pet Loss

There comes a moment in every pet owner's life when the silence in the house feels heavier, the favorite spots around the home seem emptier, and the simple routines once...

Where Do Dogs Go When They Die? Comforting Ideas, Grief Support, and Ways to Remember

Where Do Dogs Go When They Die? Comforting Ideas, Grief Support, and Ways to Remember

When a dog passes, it can feel like a piece of your heart has gone with them. The quiet moments feel heavier, and the absence of their wagging tail or...

Coping When Your Guinea Pig Died — Why It Hurts So Much, and How to Heal

Coping When Your Guinea Pig Died — Why It Hurts So Much, and How to Heal

Losing a guinea pig can leave a silence far heavier than you expect. It is remarkable how such a small creature can leave a large emptiness behind. If your guinea...

Why Memorials Matter: How Monuments, Memorial Parks, and Online Tributes Help Us Remember

Why Memorials Matter: How Monuments, Memorial Parks, and Online Tributes Help Us Remember

Memorials have been part of human history for thousands of years because they help us remember loved ones, honor the past, and find comfort in grief. From ancient stone monuments...

A Look at Where Dogs Go When They Die According to the Bible

A Look at Where Dogs Go When They Die According to the Bible

The Grief Behind the Question Anyone who has ever loved a dog knows the particular ache that comes when they die. A dog isn’t “just an animal.” They become family—sleeping...

A Faith-Based Look at Whether Dogs Go to Heaven When They Die

A Faith-Based Look at Whether Dogs Go to Heaven When They Die

If you’ve ever held a dog in your arms during their final moments, you know a particular kind of heartbreak. The house feels quieter. The daily routines that once revolved...

The Meaning of the Color Red in Grief, Funerals, and Memorials

The Meaning of the Color Red in Grief, Funerals, and Memorials

Updated: November 20, 2025 The meaning of the color red becomes especially powerful in seasons of grief. Red can feel like love, warmth, and courage, but also like longing, pain,...