So you’re a funeral director looking for a side hustle.
What does the savvy mortician with free time and an entrepreneurial spirit do?
Here are some ideas.
Continue reading Funeral Director Side Hustles for the Savvy Mortician
The memory jar is a popular and meaningful memorial idea that celebrates the memories you shared with your departed loved one.
A memory jar is both a tribute to their life and legacy, and a source of comfort to the grieving family as they get to read and treasure up all the important memories.
Let’s talk about how you can do this simple memorial project for yourself or to give to a grieving family member.
Continue reading Memory Jar Ideas, Instructions, and Quotes
In this article, we are going to cover 10 things not to do in a cemetery.
If you’re planning on visiting a cemetery – whether to pay respects to a loved one, or because you’re simply drawn to cemeteries – there is some basic etiquette you should follow.
Let’s get right to it.
Continue reading 10 Things NOT To Do In A Cemetery
Let’s learn about funeral pyres and open-air cremation.
A funeral pyre is a construction of wood (sometimes with a base of stone) on which a human body is burned.
Also known as “open air cremation,” the use of funeral pyres is common in some traditions but is not common (or even legal) in most of the modern Western world.
Open-air cremation is the process of cremation (reducing a body to ash by use of fire) set out in the open. This is done by placing the body on a funeral pyre, then stoking the fire and burning until the corpse is reduced to ashes.
No. Open-air cremation or burning human bodies on funeral pyres is not legal in most of the Western world.
However, there is an exception. In Crestone, Colorado, the Crestone End of Life Project operates a legal open-air cremation site where people can be legally cremated on a funeral pyre. You would have to be both a member of their organization and a resident of Crestone in order to qualify for their open-air cremation ceremony.
Other countries that practice open-air cremation include:
Possibly. Attitudes and ideas about death practices are changing rapidly in the Western world. Contemporary cremation in a crematorium has only been around since the late 1800s. Polite society frowned upon cremation for decades following its introduction.
However, in the last two decades the rate of cremation has risen tremendously. In 2016, the rate of cremation in the USA increased to 50.2, meaning that for the first time more than half of all decedents were cremated.
Now there are many other options for final disposition available and being researched. People ask about “Viking funerals” and being cremated on a funeral pyre all the time, so interest is clearly growing.
But will open air cremation ever be legal in the USA, Canada, Europe, or other areas of the Western world? Only time will tell.
Read more: Here’s the complete list of everything you can do with your body after you die
A death anniversary is a peculiar sort of holiday.
After all, how can you “celebrate” a life that is gone, one you so dearly miss? How do you grieve, yet heal? Can you remember a loved one without becoming overwhelmed, or should you try to ignore or forget the day they died?
Or what if you are the friend of someone whose spouse or child has died. How do you comfort them on the anniversary of their loved one’s death? Should you do or say anything?
Here are some thoughts on how to remember loved ones as the years go by.
Continue reading Death Anniversary: How to Remember & Celebrate Your Loved One
Let’s take a look at some quirky and interesting funeral photos.
Every person who has ever lived has, or will soon have, the need for a funeral.
Since life is so full of wonder, interest, intrigue, mystery, humor, and much more, it should be no surprise that death would have its share of the strange and wonderful.
Here is our collection of fascinating funeral photos that capture a small hint of the paradoxical beauty, unsolvable mystery, odd irony, and morbid humor of funerals.
Continue reading 14 Fascinating Funeral Photos
Questions about death are a normal, healthy part of living well. While you may have questions about the physical, physiological, and psychological aspects of dying, those aren’t the questions you’ll find here. And while I’m sure you have questions about the afterlife, philosophy, and religion, we’re not trying to provide answers.
Instead, these questions are designed to help you think about your legacy and what it means to die well.
Below we’ve curated 30 or so open-ended questions to get you thinking about death and the meaning of your life.
Take your time and think about each one. Feel free to print them out and write your answers down. This practice can be for your own personal enrichment or as a way to start organizing your thoughts for your end-of-life planning.
Continue reading 30 Questions About Death, Dying, and Your Legacy
As the new year kicks off, here are the 2020 Funeral Trends of note. At the end you’ll find some tips (for both consumers and funeral professionals) to make the most of these trends in making final arrangements, planning funerals, and hosting memorial services.
Continue reading 2020 Funeral Trends
Here are 100 creative celebration of life ideas to inspire you as you celebrate the life of an amazing person.
Even as you grieve, it is important to treasure and honor your loved one. These creative and meaningful memorial ideas are perfect for right now and on into the future.
We have suggestions for the funeral or celebration of life service that will be happening soon, unique memorials for the days and weeks following, and inspiring tributes to ensure that their memory is well-kept for years to come.
Continue reading 100 Inspirational Celebration of Life Ideas for an Amazing Person
Christians should consider training and serving as death doulas.
“Death” is probably the last word you would expect to find paired with “doula.” And no, this isn’t some sort of spiritual metaphor; it’s an actual job in a young but rapidly growing field. Let me explain.
Continue reading Why Christians Should Become Death Doulas
