Urns Blog

An Eternal Patriotic Memorial

As Memorial Day fast approaches, we must always remember to take the time to honor our fallen military service men and women. Whether they fell in the line of duty, or they were veterans who passed much later, they all are well deserving of a few moments of silence. Those who are willing to give of themselves to fight for our great nation are truly heroes.

Urns.com also has a way for you to offer your fallen soldier an eternal honor: Patriotic Urns. Those men and women who have spent time in one of the branches of the armed services will likely tell you how proud they are to defend the Red, White, and Blue. For soldiers who feel this immense sense of pride, a Patriotic Urn can serve as a representation of that pride even after they have entered into rest. Urns.com has a number of Patriotic and Military Urns available for you to chose from for anyone who spent time in the United States Armed Services.

Also remember, if there are any Veterans or Active Duty military personnel in your lives this Memorial Day, make sure to thank them for all of the service that they have provided.

Ecologically Sound Burial Options

Cremation is a choice people make for a variety of reasons, from the desire to cut thousands off traditional burial expenses to reducing the environmental impact of a conventional burial. Nature-lovers are often especially attracted to cremation, because there are fewer chemicals involved, less burial materials, and no space that must be maintained by mowers and pesticide for years after death. Biodegradable Urns are an excellent choice for carrying out the funeral wishes of people concerned with these aspects of death.

A variety of styles are available, so it will be easy to find an urn most appropriate toward the scattering of the ashes or post-cremation burial. A shell, sand, or salt urn, for instance, could be used for a sea burial, and cornstarch or terracotta urns could be used in land burial or scattering without worry of leaving behind materials or waste.

Seeing to the final preparations for a loved one can be a trying time. Remembering the ideals they stood for can help in making decisions. For those considering their own preparations, funeral planning can help relieve the burden of those closest to you. Anyone concerned with the environmental impact of their life and death will find biodegradable urns an appealing option.

Urns.com Cobalt Glass Cremation Jewelry

When a loved one suddenly dies, it can seem like you will never have a connection with that person again. However, cremation jewelry provides a unique way to keep your lost loved one close to your heart. This unique type of jewelry can store a part of the loved one’s ashes so that the loved one is always with you.

This unique line of jewelry comes in a variety of shapes, materials and styles. Stainless steel, gold, silver, glass and wood are a few of the materials that can be used to store the ashes of your loved one. The pendant can come in a variety of shapes, including nature-inspired designs like butterflies, dolphins and paw prints. Glass pendants are also available in sophisticated designs. The heart pendant is another popular option that conveys the love that you had and continue to have for the beloved departed. Jewelry for a cremated pet is also available so that you can continue to take your pet with you wherever you go.

The stunning line of cremation jewelry appears much like typical jewelry. While others may not know that you are carrying ashes, you will know that your loved one is kept close to your heart.

Remember your faithful companion

We all love our pets. Whether they are your best friend, they serve as a sentinel, or a combination of both, you can not deny how happy you are to have someone at home with you. It is also extremely painful when we lose our pets. The phrase, “They are just like members of the family,” is entirely apropos.

It is difficult to prepare for the loss of a family pet. However, even during this difficult period of mourning, it is possible to keep your beloved family friends close. With the beautiful, tasteful, and elegant pet urns that you can find Urns.com, you can always have a fitting tribute and memorial for your pet.

With a tribute such as this, your cat, dog, bird, or other pet will always be around the house offering you the pleasant memories of the time that you shared together. They can still act as silent sentries so that you know you always have someone watching over your home. Visit Urns.com to see all of the options we have available to you for situations such as these.

Give a Veteran the proper sendoff

When a member of our armed services pass away, it is always appropriate to send them off with a fitting tribute. Whether the service person fell in the line of duty, or passed on as a retiree, a military funeral is a beautiful ceremony to honor the memory of your loved one.

One of the most iconic portions of a military funeral is the folding of the United States flag. This is the banner for which the soldier fought for during their lifetime. Having a service involving the flag symbolizes the respect that the people of the United States have for those who put their lives on the line.

Once the flag is folded and the ceremony is over, you need a place to properly display the flag. Urns.com has these beautiful Classic Flag Case that protects and honors both the sanctity of the fallen service person and the flag itself. The flag cases at Urns.com also serve as an actual urn so that you can keep the ashes of your loved one nearby.

Insignia options available:

-Purple Heart

-Coast Guard

-Marine Corps

-Army

-Navy

-Airforce

Preserve your loved one's memory

The loss of a friend or family member is always a difficult transition. It can be very difficult to come to terms with the notion that your loved one is no longer around and available for you to spend time with. One of the tasks that falls to the family members, in preparation for the wake, is to assemble a board of photographs that helps detail the life of the person who you are mourning.

One way to help ease yourself into the transition period after the funeral is to utilize the photos that you had to organize on the board. This collection of photographs are all of the highlights of your loved one’s life, so they should reflect pleasant times and evoke positive memories.

Why not take the photos from the board and place them around all of the areas you visit in your daily routine so that you are always surrounded by your loved one? Place a picture frame in your bedroom, keep a picture next to your computer, or hang a photo at your desk at work. If you have a digital picture frame, you can even upload several photos onto one location so you can view them all through one frame.

If your loved one requested cremation, you can even use a photo urn to help keep their memory alive. This way whenever you pass by the urn, you know that your loved one is always watching over you.

If you have just experienced a loss, we at Urns.com offer you our deepest condolences.

Take time for yourself after an unexpected loss

Unfortunately from time to time, we have friends and loved ones who are taken from us unexpectedly. Although we all lose people who are close to us, it is difficult when you had no time to prepare for the notion that someone important to you is gone. In these emotionally devastating times, it is helpful to know that there are certain steps you can take to help gently guide you on the grieving process. You can find a collection of those steps below.

-Remember that your friends and family are with you. It is important to rely upon one another during these stressful times as you are all going through the same experience. Take the time to check in on one another and always remember that you have someone to talk to for when the grief seems overwhelming.

-Take some time for you. There are no manuals on how to handle this kind of situation. You will need some time to come to terms with your new reality. If friends offer to help you with certain chores, don’t be afraid to take up that offer. It is okay to feel the pain as you work through it with those around you.

-Maintain a routine. Keeping yourself grounded in a daily routine can help keep some familiarity and give you something else to focus on. At first the routine can be simple: Eat three meals a day, take your dog for a walk, listen to the radio, or spend some time with a book. Eventually work your way back into your regular routine.

-Don’t let the grief consume you. It is perfectly natural to feel sad and hurt by loss and there is an acceptable amount of time where you can take to rebuild your emotions. It is dangerous however to transfix on the pain. Make sure you’re talking to your family and friends. Make sure to spend time with other people so that you can get your mind into a better frame of mind.

As always, we here at Urns.com will be there to guide you through the process. We can even help you find a beautiful alloy urn to help serve as a fitting tribute to your lost loved one.

In our last post, we gave information about how to write an obituary, but if you want to take it a step further, there are some ways to honor your loved one’s memory through an obituary while making the obituary itself unique. Here are some ways you can honor your loved one’s memory in an obituary or memorial statement:

1. Include a picture of your loved one. This can be a photo of your loved one near the time of his or her passing or from his or her youth. The key is to pick a photo that best represents who your loved one was and how he or she will be remembered.
2. End the obituary with a quotation that your loved one was fond of.
3. Begin or end the obituary with a quote about loss, serenity, peace, or the passing of a loved one.
4. Be sure to mention groups, institutions, or people who were important to your loved one. Express your gratitude.
5. End the obituary notice with a poem that captures the memory of your loved one or a poem that your loved one was fond of.
6. End the obituary with three to five words that sum up the life of your loved one.
7. Include song lyrics to your loved one’s favorite song or to a song that represents the memory of your loved one.
8. Include a link to a memorial website or guestbook you’ve built in the honor of your loved one’s memory.
9. Include personality characteristics in your obituary. If your loved one had a great sense of humor or amazing compassion, share those kinds of details. These are the things people remember most about the ones they love.
10. Include a request from your loved one or a request that your loved one would appreciate. For example, you could include something like, “In lieu of sending flowers, plant a tree in your own backyard.”

How did you make your loved one’s memorial or obituary special?

Memorial Candles

Writing an obituary is one of the most challenging things to do after a loved one has recently passed. If you’re in charge of writing the obituary for your loved one, consider some of these tips.

Begin first by listing the full name of your loved one, as well as any nicknames that he or she went by. You’ll also want to note the age at death, the city of residence at the time of death, day and date of death, place of death, and cause of death. All of these details can be modified to suit the privacy of the loved one’s family, so don’t worry if you’d rather keep the cause of death or place of death private.

Next, you’ll want to go into a paragraph detailing your loved one’s life. Include information such as the date of birth, place of birth, names of parents, schools attended, siblings, and any important lifetime stories or experiences. You’ll also want to include information regarding marriages, such as the name of the spouse, date of marriage, and place of marriage. Finally, give a picture of your loved one’s life by telling how he or she spent her time. Include information in terms of employment, awards or other recognition, volunteer experience, hobbies, sports, or activities.

In the next paragraph, give a list of the family survived by and preceded in death by. Include spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and pets if desired.

Finally, end the obituary with a listing of the service details. Include the day, date, time, and place of the service, the name of the officiant or pallbearers if desired, and visitation information for those who would like to pay their respects. You’ll also want to detail information regarding graveside or memorial services, place of internment or where cremated ashes will be scattered, whether or not your loved one will be cremated, or the name and contact information for the funeral home in charge of the arrangements or cremation. If a memorial fund or scholarship has been established, make note of it in this paragraph.

The key to writing a meaningful obituary is to give the key things to remember about that person’s life so that the memory may live on. After the service, you may choose to put the obituary in a frame or other memorial keepsake, which can be displayed in your home, next to a cremation urn, or in another special place.

During the holiday season, it can be incredibly difficult for one to get through the grieving process that goes along with losing a loved one. If you’ve recently lost someone you love, here are 10 ways for you to cope:

1. Seek out the help of a grief counselor. This is one of the best things you can do if you’re not sure how to cope.
2. Make time to reflect, but do not dwell. Give yourself a little time each day to feel what you need to feel and work through your emotions gradually.
3. Keep busy. A popular saying is, “Get busy, get better.” Keep yourself occupied so that you’re not spending as much time thinking about the loss. Keep moving and don’t let life pass you by.
4. Read, for either your own benefit or for pleasure. There are countless books on grieving that can help you through the process. Or, if you’d rather, you could just make time to read books that make you feel good, such as a treasured favorite or one that always makes you smile.
5. Talk it out with a friend or family member. This can be a wonderful way to remember your loved one while at the same time, giving yourself a method to heal.
6. Seek out a spiritual leader. Talk to your church or another spiritual leader about coping with the loss of a loved one. There are many wonderful resources that they have available.
7. Celebrate your loved one’s life. There are many ways to do this. Some celebrate the life of a loved one by having an urn scattering ceremony. Others have a party or memorial service. It’s up to you – but remember to celebrate the life and love that was shared.
8. Give yourself time and space when needed. Sometimes, you just need time to be alone. Give yourself that time. Let yourself go when you need to.
9. Don’t take on so much. Losing a loved one is a lot on your plate, so don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
10. Find joy in the everyday and make time to laugh.

How do you work through the grief?