You have a lot of options when choosing flowers for your loved one’s casket spray. For some, choosing a set of flowers that look pretty is enough. You may also like to remember the person with their favourite flower. However, if you aren’t sure what to opt for, you may like to pick flowers that convey a specific meaning.

While not everybody is well-versed in flower language, you may be comforted knowing that your loved one is surrounded by flowers that are subtly tailored to them and their life. Here are a number of popular flowers and their meanings to guide you in your selection. Continue reading “Selecting Meaningful Flowers for Your Loved One’s Casket Spray”

Losing a loved one is one of the universal experiences that unites every adult person. It is a unique time of heightened emotions, filled with both a very conspicuous absence and a wealth of happy memories.

Thankfully, most of us will never experience enough loss to get used to the feeling — but this does mean that living through these times can be a challenge. You may be unsure how to direct your emotions or how to cope with the minutiae of everyday life with so much weight on your shoulders.

However, you should not feel helpless in this. There are ways that you can help yourself to start recovering from your loss. Continue reading “Living With Grief: How to Begin Moving On”

If your kids are lucky enough, they’ll get to spend several years enjoying their grandparents’ company. However, since their grandparents are probably the oldest family members in your children’s lives, it’s likely that they’ll have to say goodbye to these beloved family members sooner than they’d like.

For some kids, their grandparents’ deaths are the first they’ve experienced, which can make the funeral and the events leading up to it particularly rough. But if you’re dealing with the death of your own parent, you might have a hard time knowing how to comfort your kids and help them through this difficult time.

Continue reading “Helping Your Kids Say Goodbye to a Grandparent”

Where burial was once the standard, many people now prefer to be cremated when they die, with 66 percent of Australians now choosing this option. There are many reasons for cremation becoming a more popular choice, for example, concerns about land use and other environmental concerns, but a gradual change in social norms is one of the main factors.

Although cremation has many benefits, one reason someone might decide to bury their loved one is so that they can have a special place to visit and remember their lost loved ones. A grave is a good place to spend time paying respects, but cremation doesn’t have to mean missing out on this benefit. In fact, there are plenty of ways you can still have a dedicated memorial for someone who has been cremated.

Continue reading “Creating a Space to Remember a Person After Cremation”

Deciding where to scatter your loved one’s ashes after cremation is a very personal decision, and the process will look different for everyone.

Some families might have a definite idea of where their loved one’s ashes should be scattered, some might have received direction from their relative before they passed and others might have no idea what to do with the ashes.

The following pointers will help you consider your options, without making you feel rushed or overwhelmed.

Continue reading “How to Decide Where to Scatter Your Loved One’s Ashes”

 

Eco-friendly and green funeral services are becoming increasingly popular. If cremation is part of your eco-friendly or green funeral plans, here are some cremation urns that may be ideal. Continue reading “Eco-Friendly Cremation Urns for Green Funeral Services”

After a cremation, you can inter your loved one’s ashes in a columbarium, bury the ashes in a cemetery or keep the ashes. You can also opt to scatter the ashes. Here’s what you need to know about that option. Continue reading “7 Facts You Need to Know About Scattering Ashes”

If you’re planning a memorial service for a loved one, there are a number of ways you can personalise the service. Whether you want a religious ceremony or a secular service, there are all kinds of options. Consider the following ideas.

Continue reading “5 Ideas for Personalising a Funeral or Memorial Service”

Although cremation is becoming a more popular option throughout Australia, many misconceptions still abound about this process. Whether you’re setting up your own pre-need or planning cremation for a loved one, we’re going to help you untangle some of those myths. Here’s a look at some of the most common misconceptions and an explanation of the truth behind them.

Continue reading “Untangling the Truth Behind Myths About Cremation”

Historically, funerals have been sombre religious occasions followed by a traditional burial. As society has become more secular, civil ceremonies have increasingly replaced religious services, and the idea of a funeral as a celebration of life rather than a sad and serious occasion is becoming the norm. More than 85% of Australians would prefer a relaxed, celebratory or fun final send-off than a more solemn funeral.

Continue reading “3 Beautiful and Memorable Ways to Celebrate a Loved One’s Memory After Cremation”

When you lose a loved one, one of the most important aspects of organising their cremation is choosing an urn. Urns hold the cremated remains (also known as ‘ashes’ or ‘cremains’) of the deceased and serve as the perfect memorial of their life when displayed in the home. If someone very close to you has passed or you’re in the unfortunate position of having lost two loved ones, you may want to consider opting for a companion urn.

Continue reading “Is a Companion Urn Right for Your Loved One?”

Depending on your culture, religion and other beliefs, a funeral may mean many things.

For many cultures, a funeral simply signifies the end of life on earth and the body we inhabit. After a funeral, the personal journey of the deceased continues as they move into the afterlife, reincarnation, paradise or heaven. The ceremony is an opportunity to remember, to mourn, to celebrate and to help your loved one on their journey.
Continue reading “Funerals: Celebrating Life”

An obituary is one of the many ways that you can honour a loved one after death. Importantly, it also allows those who the deceased has lost contact with to be made aware of their passing.
Continue reading “Final Tribute – What to Include in an Obituary”

There are many considerations that are made when deciding how one’s body is respected in death. Some may be financial, others religious, and some may simply be determined by circumstances.
Continue reading “Burial or Cremation – a Personal Choice”

Making the choice to be cremated or buried can be complex and fraught with emotion. Family can be overwhelmed by the idea of cremation or the cost of burial, and it can often be difficult to respect the wishes of the deceased where conflicting values are held.
Continue reading “Why Burial is More Poetic Than Cremation”

A Will is a legal document that outlines your wishes for what will happen to you, your property and assets after you are gone. It’s the only way to be sure that your Estate (the legal term for your property and assets) will be divided among those you care about in a way that you’re comfortable with. Regardless of the value of your Estate, it’s important to create a Will for a number of reasons.

Continue reading “Everyone should have a Will”

When someone close to you is gone, it’s important to celebrate their life in a way that has meaning to those left behind. One way to pay tribute to your loved one without holding a full professional funeral service is to simply hold a memorial with friends and family. If you choose to hold a memorial instead of a professional funeral service, an unattended cremation service is a practical and affordable option. It means that once the ashes are collected the family can take time to organise a personal memorial that’s unique, special and rich in meaning.

Continue reading “Ideas for a Personal Memorial”

The eulogy is the part of the funeral service that celebrates the life of someone who has passed away. It’s a personal and often anecdotal speech that commemorates life and bids farewell while offering comfort to those left behind. The eulogy usually lasts for about five to ten minutes – although there are no rules to this – and can be delivered by a family member, close friend, the minister or celebrant, or someone else appointed by the family.

Continue reading “What to Include in a Eulogy”

Because we all experience grief in a unique personal way, it’s not easy to know how to help someone who is grieving. 

Lend a Sympathetic Ear

Listen attentively and sympathetically. It’s important your friend or family member knows you are actively listening and to their concerns and not judging.

Continue reading “How to Help Someone Who Is Grieving”