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.

The "Too Soon" vs. "Too Late" Dilemma: A Guide to the Final Decision

The "Too Soon" vs. "Too Late" Dilemma: A Guide to the Final Decision

If you’re reading this, you may be living inside one of the hardest questions a family ever carries: Are we choosing euthanasia too soon… or too late? It’s a dilemma...

What to Expect When You Receive Cremation Ashes: Handling, Storage, and Next Steps

What to Expect When You Receive Cremation Ashes: Handling, Storage, and Next Steps

Receiving cremation ashes can feel surprisingly heavy—emotionally and sometimes physically. Even if you chose cremation with confidence, the moment you’re handed a container (or you open a delivery box) can...

What Are Human Ashes, Really? Composition, Appearance, and What You Can Do with Them

What Are Human Ashes, Really? Composition, Appearance, and What You Can Do with Them

When a loved one is cremated, the moment the cremated remains come home can feel strangely quiet. There’s often a temporary container, a simple bag inside a box, and a...

Short, Beautiful Words for Gravestones: Simple Epitaphs That Still Say a Lot

Short, Beautiful Words for Gravestones: Simple Epitaphs That Still Say a Lot

There’s a particular kind of pressure that shows up when you’re choosing a gravestone inscription. You may have already made a dozen practical decisions—cemetery paperwork, timelines, costs, who to notify—and...

Grieving Someone You Were Estranged From: Mixed Emotions, Regrets, and Finding a Way to Say Goodbye

Grieving Someone You Were Estranged From: Mixed Emotions, Regrets, and Finding a Way to Say Goodbye

When someone dies after a long season of distance—an estranged parent, sibling, ex-partner, or once-close friend—grief doesn’t arrive in a single, clean emotion. It arrives as a stack of feelings...

Why People Feel Embarrassed About Pet Grief

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...

Handling Pet Loss Anniversaries With Grace

Handling Pet Loss Anniversaries With Grace

The first time the date shows up on your calendar—one year since the day you said goodbye, or the week your pet stopped eating, or the morning you brought them...

How to Rebuild Your Daily Routine After a Pet Dies

How to Rebuild Your Daily Routine After a Pet Dies

When a pet dies, it’s not only the quiet in the house that hurts—it’s the sudden collapse of structure. The morning that used to begin with a nose at your...

How to Make a Picture Board for a Funeral

How to Make a Picture Board for a Funeral

Creating a picture board for a funeral is a deeply personal way to celebrate the life of a loved one. It allows friends and family to connect with memories, honor...

How Do I Choose a Life Insurance Agent?

How Do I Choose a Life Insurance Agent?

Most people don’t start looking for a life insurance agent because it sounds fun. They start because something feels urgent or important. A new baby. A mortgage. A spouse who...

Mindfulness for Pet Loss: How to Stay Grounded While Grieving

Mindfulness for Pet Loss: How to Stay Grounded While Grieving

Pet loss can feel disorienting in a uniquely everyday way. One moment you’re reaching for a leash that isn’t there. The next, you’re standing in the kitchen at the time...

Is It Rude to Not Dress Up for a Funeral?

Is It Rude to Not Dress Up for a Funeral?

Funerals are profoundly emotional moments that bring together family, friends, and communities to celebrate and honor a life that has passed. In these times, grief can feel overwhelming, and even...

How Do You Prepay for a Cremation?

How Do You Prepay for a Cremation?

For many families, the decision to prepay for cremation isn’t primarily about securing a financial bargain—it’s about reducing the emotional and logistical pressure that comes during a time of grief....

Funeral Thank You Message From Family: What to Say, When to Send It, and How to Make It Feel Real

Funeral Thank You Message From Family: What to Say, When to Send It, and How to Make It Feel Real

If you’re searching for a funeral thank you message from family, you’re likely in that delicate space where the service has ended, the house feels quiet again, and the outpouring...

Wake, Viewing, and Visitation Etiquette: What to Wear, What to Say, and How Long to Stay

Wake, Viewing, and Visitation Etiquette: What to Wear, What to Say, and How Long to Stay

Walking into a wake, a viewing, or a visitation can feel strangely hard—especially if you haven’t been to one in years, or if you’re worried about “doing the right thing.”...

What to Say Instead of Deepest Sympathy?

What to Say Instead of Deepest Sympathy?

Losing a pet can feel disorienting in a very specific way. The grief is real and heavy, but the world around you often treats it like it should be smaller,...