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 Pet You Inherited (or Didn’t Choose): Mixed Feelings, Guilt & Real Loss

Grieving a Pet You Inherited (or Didn’t Choose): Mixed Feelings, Guilt & Real Loss

There is a particular kind of heartbreak that doesn’t match the story we expect grief to follow. It happens when the pet who died wasn’t “your” pet in the clean,...

Grieving an Outdoor Cat or Barn Cat: When Love Doesn’t Look Traditional (But Loss Is Real)

Grieving an Outdoor Cat or Barn Cat: When Love Doesn’t Look Traditional (But Loss Is Real)

Some cats don’t live their love out loud. They don’t curl up on your pillow every night or greet guests at the door. They don’t have a vet file with...

When You’re the Only One Grieving a Pet: Uneven Grief in a Household and What to Do

When You’re the Only One Grieving a Pet: Uneven Grief in a Household and What to Do

It can feel like a second loss when your pet is gone and the people you live with don’t seem to be grieving the same way you are. You’re crying...

Pet Loss During the Holidays: Decorating, Traditions & Tender Boundaries That Protect Your Heart

Pet Loss During the Holidays: Decorating, Traditions & Tender Boundaries That Protect Your Heart

If you are facing pet loss during the holidays, you may notice something that feels almost unfair: the world gets louder and brighter at the exact moment your life feels...

Can’t Sleep After Pet Loss? A Nighttime Routine for the Empty House & Gentle Ways to Rest

Can’t Sleep After Pet Loss? A Nighttime Routine for the Empty House & Gentle Ways to Rest

If you are lying in bed staring at the ceiling, you are not doing grief “wrong.” In many homes, the hardest hours come after the lights go out, when the...

Pet Euthanasia Guilt: “Did I Do the Right Thing?” How to Quiet Doubt Without Self-Blame

Pet Euthanasia Guilt: “Did I Do the Right Thing?” How to Quiet Doubt Without Self-Blame

If you’re reading this with a tight chest and a looping thought that won’t let you rest—pet euthanasia guilt, regret after putting a pet to sleep, “did I do the...

Disenfranchised Pet Grief: Why Pet Loss Feels Invisible & How to Get the Support You Deserve

Disenfranchised Pet Grief: Why Pet Loss Feels Invisible & How to Get the Support You Deserve

The day you lose a pet, the world can feel strangely unchanged. Cars still move through intersections. People still answer emails. Someone might even ask, cheerfully, “How was your weekend?”—and...

The First 24 Hours After Losing a Pet: Shock, Physical Symptoms, and What Helps Right Now

The First 24 Hours After Losing a Pet: Shock, Physical Symptoms, and What Helps Right Now

The first day after a pet dies can feel unreal. One moment you are moving through a normal routine, and the next you are staring at an empty bed, an...

What Not to Say When Someone Loses a Pet: Common Phrases That Hurt and Better Alternatives

What Not to Say When Someone Loses a Pet: Common Phrases That Hurt and Better Alternatives

There is a particular kind of message that can stop you in your tracks: “We had to put her down today.” Or, “He’s gone.” When someone loses a pet, they...

Pet Urn Size Chart by Weight & Breed: Dogs, Cats & Small Pets (Printable Guide)

Pet Urn Size Chart by Weight & Breed: Dogs, Cats & Small Pets (Printable Guide)

When you lose a pet, the world keeps moving as if nothing happened, and yet your whole home feels different. In the middle of that tenderness, families often get hit...

Funeral Thank-You Cards: Do You Need to Send Them and Who Should Get One?

Funeral Thank-You Cards: Do You Need to Send Them and Who Should Get One?

Right after a death, life becomes a strange mix of heavy emotions and practical to-dos. You may be fielding texts you can’t answer yet, deciding on service details, and trying...

Pet Cremation Glossary: 75 Terms Explained (Private, Partitioned, Communal, Witness & More)

Pet Cremation Glossary: 75 Terms Explained (Private, Partitioned, Communal, Witness & More)

If you have ever walked out of a veterinary clinic with paperwork in hand and a thousand thoughts in your head, you already know how strange pet loss can feel:...

Sympathy Flowers and Their Meanings: A Complete Guide to Choosing the Right Arrangement

Sympathy Flowers and Their Meanings: A Complete Guide to Choosing the Right Arrangement

When someone dies, most people don’t struggle to care—they struggle to translate care into something they can actually do. That’s why sympathy flowers have lasted as a tradition for so...

Funeral Cards Handed Out at Services: Memorial Cards, Prayer Cards, and Other Keepsakes

Funeral Cards Handed Out at Services: Memorial Cards, Prayer Cards, and Other Keepsakes

There is a moment at many services that feels almost ordinary: someone stands near the entrance, hands folded around a small stack of cards, and quietly offers one to each...

Ordering Funeral Prayer Cards: Cost, Turnaround Time, and Where to Print

Ordering Funeral Prayer Cards: Cost, Turnaround Time, and Where to Print

In the days after a death, families are asked to make decisions quickly—some large and permanent, others small but surprisingly tender. Prayer cards fall into that second category. They are...

Sympathy Meals After a Death: What Food to Bring and How to Help Without Adding Stress

Sympathy Meals After a Death: What Food to Bring and How to Help Without Adding Stress

When someone dies, the days that follow can feel strangely busy and strangely unreal at the same time. The grieving family may be juggling phone calls, visitors, paperwork, and decisions...