Memorial Service Ideas

Birds of a Feather Cremation Urns: Beauty from the Ashes

April 6, 2018 Kim Stacey

bluebird inspirational motivational quote

At this time of year, here in the San Lorenzo Valley of coastal California, bird song fills the air. Wherever you live, you’re most likely experiencing the same thing. This post, featuring a few of our bird urns for ashes, is written in celebration of this joyful annual occurrence.

“When the Sun of compassion arises darkness evaporates and the singing birds come from nowhere.” ~Amit Ray

Hummingbird Cremation Urns

A small beauty, delightfully called ‘Anna’s Hummingbird’, is one of many birds now enlivening the Redwood forest surrounding the town where I live. I hear them twittering in the blooming Camellia tree in my front yard, but rarely catch a glimpse of them there. It’s only when they perch on the feeder on my front porch, sipping ‘nectar’, that I can study them closely. Who doesn’t find hummingbirds enchanting? The same question could be said of our hummingbird cremation urns.

blue hummingbird cremation urn for humans

One of my very favorite hummingbird urns, one which truly captures their jewel-like beauty, is the stunningly beautiful Hummingbird Keepsake Urn. Its detail and coloring is superb. You’ll see two similarly lovely avian keepsake urns below.There are more tiny treasures, such as our hummingbird cremation necklace.

This first is the Silver Hummingbird Urn Jewelry. It’s diminutive, measuring just 1- 1/8″ in length x 5/8″ in width. The talented jewelers who created this hummingbird cremation pendant are American craftsman who design memorials with care and compassion.

hummingbird cloisonne cremation urn for human ashes

But what if you’re looking for a full-size hummingbird cremation urn? You’ll be delighted with the newest addition to our collection of hummingbird urns, the Happy White Hummingbird Urn for Ashes. Its traditional classic shape is graced by a vibrantly colored hummingbird in mid-sip. The image speaks of the bounty, and the beauty, of the natural world. Here are other beautiful bird urns in our collection.

blue bird urn for ashes — Bluebird of Happiness Adult Urn

More Urns with Birds: Bluebirds, Owls, Cardinals & Eagles

Remember the Hummingbird keepsake urn mentioned earlier? Here are two equally beautiful ones to enjoy. The first is the Cardinal Jeweled Keepsake. It’s as vibrant as this next one, the Bluebird Jeweled Mini Urn.

I think each is a tiny delight to behold.

If tiny treasures are not what you need and full size storage is, the cardinal adult size urn may be a good choice. The scarlet red cardinal perched on a branch of blooming dogwoods is so symbolic for many and is suitable for male or female, father, mother, brother or sister.

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” ~Robert Lynd

If you want something a little more masculine and with strong symbolism, the Soaring Free Eagle or Sunset Eagle urn might be a good choice.

You can read more about what makes the eagle such a special creature, the power and majesty behind the bird on this post: The Eagle Always Wins at the Funeral.

This month we’ll once again look at planning and planting a memorial garden in honor of a loved one; it’s part three of a series. If you missed the first two posts, take a minute to check them out now: DIY Memorials: Let’s Talk about Memorial Gardens and the most recent DIY Memorials: Planning a Loved One’s Memorial Garden. Since we’re in mid-celebration of spring–and the return of hummingbirds (and other birds of a feather)–I’m going to plan for a hummingbird sanctuary garden. It should be fun, so stay tuned.

10 of the Most Popular Modern Funeral Songs

February 20, 2018 Kim Stacey

Let me ask you a question (if you’ve never attended a funeral, memorial service, just use your imagination): “What would a funeral be like if there was no music?” You might cheekily answer “boring!”; but for sure the event would be less emotive, less powerful, for everyone there. While there are traditional funeral songs; hymns like Ava Maria, The Old Rugged Cross, and Amazing Grace; today these old standbys are being replaced by more recently written music which speaks more directly to us, living here in the 21^st century. So, what are some of the most popular modern funeral songs being heard by service attendees? Let’s take a look:

“Bright Eyes”
“Dancing with the Angels”

- “Satisfied Mind”
- “Wind beneath my Wings”
- “Farewell My Friend”
- “You’ll Never Walk Alone”
- “What a Wonderful World”

When it comes to instructive, light-hearted songs, two of the most popular are “Don’t Worry. Be Happy” and the incomparable, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, from Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

For Many Music is an Essential Part of Life

“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche said that, and I couldn’t agree more with his opinion. Music, for many of us, provides us with a refuge when the storms of life become too fierce. For others, like Albert Einstein, it’s even more intrinsic to who they are: “I live my daydreams in music,” he wrote. “I see my life in terms of music.”

When planning a funeral or memorial service for a loved one, follow Albert’s lead: take time to view their life in terms of music – and (with the help of your funeral director) bring some of this “background” music into the service.

Are you mourning a music lover? Would you like to honor a loved one’s musical talent? If so, you might also like to read “Hittin’ the High Note: Urn Garden’s Music Collection”.

Creative Memorials-Ash Scattering on a Cruise

January 3, 2018 urngarden.com

Scattering Ashes on a Cruise

Hyler and Pam Cooper are experienced cruisers and this year they rang in the new year on a Norwegian cruise ship headed for the Bahamas. This trip was a little different from past vacations; this year the couple performed an ash scattering ceremony while at sea. Not just one set of ashes, there were two. Hyler’s brother Rob died suddenly in 2016 at the age of 58. When they went to California to clean out his place and collect his personal belongings they discovered the ashes of Rob’s partner, Juan who died 10 years earlier.

According to Pam, “Both Rob and Juan were conscious of our earth’s environment and had made the decision to be cremated.”

“Rob shared with me during one of our talks, that he regretted that he and Juan didn’t get to take a cruise together. Hyler and I loved sailing the Caribbean and we knew that Juan and Rob would have loved it too. We discussed it and made the decision that we could give Juan and Rob their cruise and let them spend eternity together in a warm tropical place.”

Pam did contact Juan’s family to get their blessing to carry out this plan. Next, she contacted Norwegian Cruise Lines:

“First, I sent an email to Norwegian and asked if they would accommodate scattering of ashes. They emailed me back and told me that scattering of ashes was a common request and they often helped people with this type of request. There are certain restrictions.”

The remains must be in a biodegradable container for ashes
Dispersion has to take place in international waters.
The environmental officer of the ship must be present.

“My next thought was, ‘How do I get the ashes to the ship?’ I went to my airline carrier and typed “human remains” in the search box. It specified that human remains can travel in carry-on if there is no metal surrounding the ashes. Otherwise, they must be packed into checked baggage. We chose to pack the remains in our checked baggage. Two sets of ashes added about 20 pounds to the weight of our suitcase.”

“I did have to open the containers from the funeral home before we left our home in Dallas to see how the remains were packaged. Both were inside of a sealed container with a plastic bag holding the contents. They traveled in those bags inside a plastic container for the trip.”

You Must Clear Scattering of Ashes With the Cruise Line

A service of this nature absolutely has to be cleared by the cruise line. Pam says, “The cruise line was very sensitive to our feelings. They provided a covered table at the back of the ship.

ash scattering at sea cruise

Two of the ship’s officers attended along with my brother and sister in-law. We read a poem, said our farewells and then dropped the box into the ocean.”

ash scattering at sea

The cruise line provides a certificate that provides:

Name(s) of the Departed
Name of the Ship
Date of the Memorial
Time of the Memorial

Position
Latitude
Longitude
Distance from shore
Depth of the water

Prior to this ceremony, Hyler and Pam had a funeral and celebration of life for Rob in California, where he resided. The memorial service at sea was a beautiful send off.

Thanks to Hyler and Pam sharing their story.

Urns for the Beach Life

October 19, 2017 urngarden.com

What do we do for fun around here? As we ease into Fall, lately we’re dreaming about sand and surf, although with the recent hurricanes, the beaches are wrecked. So there are cheap flights and if you can get away go for it! It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful depending on where you stay….

Yesterday, we talked to a mother and I did not get the complete story, but the family was not expecting to get ashes back from their 23 year old daughter who had died. But things change and now they were going to receive a small amount her ashes. The funeral director said it would be about a cup or so. The deceased was a young mother with two small children. Mother said she loved to knee board and play in the water. She knew as soon as she saw the blown glass wave it was perfect for her daughter.

Earlier this summer, a gentleman called to inquire about the big shell urn we sell. He needed a biodegradable urn for a water burial that was planned. And? He had to pass airport security to make it happen. He wanted everything to fit on board the plane, and he was concerned about whether the shell would fit in the overhead compartment. The shell is super lightweight, but packaged in an oversize box.

So, he ordered and after the delivery, he boldly went bag shopping with empty urn in tow to find a tote that would accommodate the box that he could check as a carry on.

Success! Now, I don’t know the details on where he shopped, but he did call back to say that the flight was smooth and the ash scattering ceremony was successful.

We’ve spoke to clients who were able to live their dream and move to the beach. Some of them were short and sweet stays, but life changing and inspirational. This particular couple inspired the Santa Rosa Beach Cremation Urn.

Other clients have told us about some of their favorite beach vacations and we were so inspired to create a couple ocean styles based on their descriptions.

Ocean Beach Cremation Urn for Ashes — Santa Rosa Ocean Beach Urn for Ashes

This one is inspired by one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Siesta Key. It also comes in a purple version. Adult sizes and smaller keepsakes to match are available.

Ocean beach small urn for ashes, heart shaped

My mom and dad love Maui and we named this memorial urn after their love of white sand and palm trees. It’s been popular with our customers as well. We are one of the few retailers that are able to engrave this urn.

But when the storms roll in, the survivors clean up and move on. The bronze lighthouse and sea shell jewelry were bought by clients who had weathered hurricane Sandy. So we look for the rainbow after the storm.

Urn Garden’s Top 3 Picks for Living Memorials (Trees)

July 19, 2017 urngarden.com

Dogwoods for living memorial

When a death occurs friends often are left wondering what they can do for the grieving family. We’ve written about gift ideas before, but a living memorial could be the gift that keeps giving and creates a beautiful lasting legacy. Specifically, we are talking about an ornamental tree or flowering bush. Naturally, this wouldn’t be appropriate for an apartment or condo dweller, but for a family or friend that has room on their property or wanted to make a donation to a park, this gift could be the answer.

My grandmother’s tradition of scared plantings in the garden and her gifts of perennials and flowering trees is the inspiration behind our business. Right before Grandmother died, she gifted a dogwood tree to the spouse of longtime family friends. It was bittersweet and symbolic, as the person who had passed did not have any brothers, sisters or children of her own and was basically the end of the branch on that family’s genealogy tree.

Before we start, we should note that if you want to personalize your living memorial with a plaque or marker, some families choose to create a tree dedication marker that can be placed at the base of the tree.

tree dedication marker stone

The stones are weather proof and can contain names and dates or other brief message that will mark the sacred spot.

dogwood flowers

1. Flowering Dogwood

This is the Dogwood that most people are most familiar with. The nice thing about these trees are that they don’t take up a lot of room and are early spring bloomers. Definitely a sight for sore eyes after a long bleak winter. White or pink flowers and even grafted varieties that create half pink half white. The dogwood symbolizes life and gives us hope after a dark and cold season. Here in zone 7 the dogwoods start to pop in April, signaling the arrival of the hummingbirds shortly after. We’ve noticed that later in the fall, the squirrels love to feed on the seed pods that are left on the tree.

Japanese Kousa Dogwood

2. Japanese Dogwood (Kousa)

Another species of dogwood and personally, my favorite. The Kousa blooms later in the spring, usually mid May and the blossoms are spectacular. Star shaped white flowers load the branches and will last for weeks, lasting longer than the standard Dogwood. This tree combines the best of delicate beauty but is tough and durable. Nice and shady in the summer and then the leaves will turn red in the fall.

weeping cherry tree memorial

3. Weeping Cherry

Stunningly beautiful, the cascading blossoms of pink or white in early spring are a welcome site and are often planted near pools of water for maximum impact. Check the label if size is an issue for you when planting. Some of the weeping cherries can get quite large and tower over 40 feet tall. If smaller and more compact is more desirable for the landscape you have chosen, check out the dwarf varieties.

Due to the heat, it’s a little late in the season right now for planting these types of trees, best times are early spring and later fall. That gives you plenty of time to pick the perfect spot and coordinate a tree planting ceremony or dedication if desired.