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Celebrating Life: Unique Ways of Memorializing a Loved One

In the West, a funeral is usually where you’d pay your last respects to a deceased person. Yet both older and newer alternative traditions exist that still let family give an honorable, memorable goodbye to a loved ...

Category: Funeral Society Loss

funeral culture grief

A Brief Refresher Course on Funeral Etiquette

Life brings with it both joyous and sorrowful events, so you’ll most likely have to attend the funeral of a friend, loved one, coworker or community member at some point in your life. Especially in the digital age, it ...

Category: Funeral Loss

funeral grief

Saying Goodbye Without God: Choosing a Non-Religious Funeral

Many end-of-life traditions in the Western world are based on Christian customs. From the songs that are sung to their orders of services, funerals have been typically structured from Christian worship rituals and conduc ...

Category: Funeral Loss

funeral grief

Blue Planet: How Other Cultures Handle Loss

Losing someone close to you can be paralyzing. Death is hard to accept, no matter how old you might be or how used to loss you might think you are. While it can be hard to move forward, there is comfort in knowing you ar ...

Category: Funeral Ceremonies Society Loss

funeral culture grief

Understanding Cremation for Your Loved Ones

Death can be incredibly difficult to deal with. When someone you know has passed away, you must find a way of coping that works best for you. Of course, there are some situations where you might not know how to process t ...

Category: Funeral Loss

funeral grief

Estranged From Your Family? Make Sure Your Final Wishes Are Honored

Planning your own funerary arrangements can be difficult enough, but what if you have serious doubts that your wishes will be honored after you die? This is a common worry for people estranged from their families due to ...

Category: Funeral

funeral

Honoring the Dead After a Natural Disaster

With recent headlines about the record-breaking hurricanes Harvey and Irma, there will likely be concerns about how to deal with mourning the dead in their aftermath. Religion and culture dictate funerary customs to whic ...

Category: Funeral Society Loss

funeral grief

Grief Is Universal: Helping Your Pets Cope With Loss

We need to grieve whenever we lose someone close to us, but what about our pets? Research and anecdotal evidence suggest that they feel the loss of a loved one just as much as we do. During this difficult time, there are ...

Category: Funeral Loss

funeral culture grief

Even in Death, You Are Not Alone: The Role of the Psychopomp

Have you ever heard the phrase “crossing the river Styx”? You may not know about the Greek myth behind the saying but might be familiar with the idea of spirit guides helping the dead pass into the afterlife. From th ...

Category: Funeral Society

funeral culture

Overcoming Anxiety Before a Funeral

Dealing with loss is never an easy journey. When someone close to you has passed away, it can feel like you are left with a void in your heart. For people with anxiety, this also means having to deal with large crowds of ...

Category: Funeral Loss

funeral grief