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.

Hourglass Urns for Ashes: How They Work, Capacity, and What to Know Before You Buy

Hourglass Urns for Ashes: How They Work, Capacity, and What to Know Before You Buy

There’s something quietly comforting about an hourglass. Even people who don’t consider themselves “sentimental” understand the feeling: time passing, love staying, a life held gently between before and after. That’s...

Judaism and Cremation: Beliefs by Tradition and What Families Can Do

Judaism and Cremation: Beliefs by Tradition and What Families Can Do

When a family is facing loss, decisions can arrive faster than grief can catch up. Sometimes the questions come before the goodbye. Sometimes they come after—when a loved one has...

Shipping, Returns, and Tracking for Online Memorial Purchases: A Buyer’s Checklist

Shipping, Returns, and Tracking for Online Memorial Purchases: A Buyer’s Checklist

When you’re ordering memorial items online, you’re rarely in a “normal” shopping mindset. You might be making decisions quickly because a service date is approaching, or slowly because you’re still...

Choosing a Casket: Materials, Features, and Cost Ranges Explained in Plain Language

Choosing a Casket: Materials, Features, and Cost Ranges Explained in Plain Language

Choosing a casket is one of those decisions that can feel oddly intense. You may have been doing “normal life” just days ago, and now you’re being asked to pick...

15 Famous Mothers in History and Pop Culture—and How Their Memorials Keep Their Stories Alive

15 Famous Mothers in History and Pop Culture—and How Their Memorials Keep Their Stories Alive

Some mothers become famous because history recorded their choices. Others become famous because a story—on a page or a screen—captured a kind of love people recognized instantly. Either way, what...

Most Popular Types of Headstones Today: Styles Families Choose and Why

Most Popular Types of Headstones Today: Styles Families Choose and Why

For most families, choosing a headstone is not simply a purchase. It is one of the first permanent decisions you make after a loss, and that permanence can feel heavy....

Designing a Digital Memorial Page that Includes Both Human and Pet Loved Ones

Designing a Digital Memorial Page that Includes Both Human and Pet Loved Ones

Most families don’t set out to create a “combined” memorial. It usually starts with something simple: you want a place where your aunt can share a photo of your dad,...

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...

How Long Can You Wait to Hold a Memorial After Cremation?

How Long Can You Wait to Hold a Memorial After Cremation?

In the days after a death, families often expect that there is a “right” order of events: a service, a burial, a gathering, a clear ending. But cremation changes the...

How Cremation Works: The Science of Heat, Bone Processing, and Why It’s Not the Same as Burns

How Cremation Works: The Science of Heat, Bone Processing, and Why It’s Not the Same as Burns

If you’ve ever caught yourself googling how does cremation work at 2 a.m., you’re not alone. Families often want a clear, respectful explanation—something more grounded than internet myths, but not...

Memorial Options When You Only Have a Small Amount of Ashes

Memorial Options When You Only Have a Small Amount of Ashes

Sometimes you expect to receive “the ashes,” and instead you find yourself holding a small container that feels surprisingly light. Or you already scattered most of the remains and kept...

Flying With Cremated Remains: TSA Rules, Airline Tips, and Travel-Friendly Urns

Flying With Cremated Remains: TSA Rules, Airline Tips, and Travel-Friendly Urns

Traveling with someone’s ashes can feel oddly heavy in a way that isn’t just physical. You’re carrying love, responsibility, and a plan you don’t want to mess up—while moving through...

New Hampshire Pet Cremation Guide: Laws, Costs & Options

New Hampshire Pet Cremation Guide: Laws, Costs & Options

Updated December 23, 2025 for 2026. Losing a pet is never easy, and making decisions about cremation can feel overwhelming. This guide explains pet cremation in New Hampshire in clear,...

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...

How to Write and Deliver a Eulogy: Simple Structure, Examples, and Speaking Tips

How to Write and Deliver a Eulogy: Simple Structure, Examples, and Speaking Tips

If you’re writing a eulogy, this beginner-friendly guide walks you through a clear structure (opening, stories, values, closing) and practical speaking tips for a calm, heartfelt delivery. You’ll also find...