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.

Grief and Creativity: Art, Music, and Writing as Healing Outlets (Even If You’re ‘Not Artistic’)

Grief and Creativity: Art, Music, and Writing as Healing Outlets (Even If You’re ‘Not Artistic’)

Grief can make ordinary life feel unfamiliar. Tasks that once seemed simple may now feel overwhelming. Your attention may jump from one thought to another, your energy can plummet, and...

Letters You Never Sent: Writing as a Tool for Grief, Forgiveness, and Unfinished Conversations

Letters You Never Sent: Writing as a Tool for Grief, Forgiveness, and Unfinished Conversations

There are moments in grief when we realize the words we needed to speak will never leave our lips. Perhaps it was love left unspoken, or anger we tucked away...

Cremation, Guilt, and “Did I Do the Right Thing?”: Mental Health Perspectives

Cremation, Guilt, and “Did I Do the Right Thing?”: Mental Health Perspectives

Guilt after cremation can feel surprisingly sharp. It can show up in the quiet hours after the arrangements are finished, after the urn arrives, after the house empties out, or...

Visiting the Vet, Park, or Favorite Spot After a Pet Dies: Handling Grief Triggers

Visiting the Vet, Park, or Favorite Spot After a Pet Dies: Handling Grief Triggers

There are some places you expect to hurt after a pet dies, like the quiet corner where their bed used to be, or the kitchen floor where you still instinctively...

Grief and Health: When to See a Doctor About Physical Symptoms Connected to Loss

Grief and Health: When to See a Doctor About Physical Symptoms Connected to Loss

Grief has a way of changing your body before you’ve found words for what’s happening. You might feel it as a headache that won’t quit, a stomach that turns at...

Handling Social Invitations and Events in Early Grief: Saying No, Saying Yes, and Changing Your Mind

Handling Social Invitations and Events in Early Grief: Saying No, Saying Yes, and Changing Your Mind

In early grief, invitations can feel oddly loud. A text lights up your phone, a calendar invite lands in your inbox, a friend asks, “Are you coming?”, and suddenly you’re...

Pregnancy After Loss: Navigating Hope, Anxiety, and Grief When You’re Expecting Again

Pregnancy After Loss: Navigating Hope, Anxiety, and Grief When You’re Expecting Again

If you’re living a pregnancy after miscarriage or you’re pregnant after stillbirth, you may recognize the emotional whiplash that can arrive without warning, sometimes within the same hour, sometimes in...

When You Find Out About a Death Late: Reaching Out, Apologizing, and Handling Mixed Emotions

When You Find Out About a Death Late: Reaching Out, Apologizing, and Handling Mixed Emotions

There is a particular kind of shock that comes from learning about a death long after it happened. It can arrive in a stray social media post, a forwarded email...

Explaining Cremation and Burial to Children in Gentle, Honest Language

Explaining Cremation and Burial to Children in Gentle, Honest Language

Most adults don’t struggle to love their children through grief. They struggle to find words that are both true and kind. When a child asks what happens to the body,...

Do Cremation Ashes Attract Spirits or “Hold Energy”? Beliefs, Comfort Tips, and Faith-Based Guidance

Do Cremation Ashes Attract Spirits or “Hold Energy”? Beliefs, Comfort Tips, and Faith-Based Guidance

It’s a question people often whisper, sometimes even to themselves: do cremation ashes attract spirits, or do they hold energy in a way that changes the feeling of a home? The...

Grief and Holidays for Blended and Multi-Household Families: Scheduling, Traditions, and Fairness

Grief and Holidays for Blended and Multi-Household Families: Scheduling, Traditions, and Fairness

Holidays have a way of making grief louder. Even in uncomplicated families, a first Thanksgiving chair that stays empty, a stocking that doesn’t get filled, or a familiar voice missing...

Grief and Work Performance: Focus, Mistakes, and How to Talk with Your Boss

Grief and Work Performance: Focus, Mistakes, and How to Talk with Your Boss

There is a particular kind of emotional exhaustion that settles in when you return to work after a loss. You may be sitting in the same chair, opening the same...

When a Death Involves Crime or Legal Investigation: Navigating Media, Courts, and Delays

When a Death Involves Crime or Legal Investigation: Navigating Media, Courts, and Delays

When a death is connected to a crime, suspected foul play, or an active legal investigation, grief rarely arrives on its own. It comes layered with shock, fear, and the...

When a Service Dog Dies: Grief, Identity Changes, and Practical Next Steps for Handlers

When a Service Dog Dies: Grief, Identity Changes, and Practical Next Steps for Handlers

When people say “I’m sorry for your loss,” they often picture a pet who slept at the foot of the bed or greeted you at the door. When a service...

Teen Pet Grief: Why It Can Look Like Anger, Numbness or Withdrawal (and How Adults Can Help)

Teen Pet Grief: Why It Can Look Like Anger, Numbness or Withdrawal (and How Adults Can Help)

When a teenager loses a pet, adults often expect tears, talking, and visible sadness. What they sometimes get instead is a slammed bedroom door, an eye roll, a short fuse,...

Appetite Changes After Pet Loss: Why Eating Is Hard & Small Steps That Help

Appetite Changes After Pet Loss: Why Eating Is Hard & Small Steps That Help

The day your pet dies, the world doesn’t just feel quieter. It can feel physically wrong—like your body forgot how to do the simplest things. If you’re dealing with loss of...