Cremation. In the 1960s and 1970s the demand for cremation increased dramatically, due in part to its nature as an alternative to traditional burial. If you opt for cremation, you don’t have to do away with the ceremony. You can still have all the bells and whistles of a traditional service, including a procession to the crematory and a “witness cremation.”

When people think of cremated remains they often imagine them as a pile of ashes left over from a fire. In fact cremated remains are not ashes. They’re mostly a form of natural salts that look like crushed seashells. For keeping the “cremains” (“cremated” + “remains” = “cremains”), most people purchase an urn and set it up in their home on a bookshelf, mantle, nightstand or desk. To contain all of the cremains the urn should have a capacity of over 200 cubic inches, or a little smaller than a shoebox. An urn can be sealed permanently or kept unsealed—it’s up to you. The cremains should be in a bag of some kind inside the urn, not loose, to prevent spillage. If the urn is to be buried, consider biodegradable options.

Cremains can also be used outside the urn—in jewelry as charms, mixed with acrylics or oils and painted on a canvas, or blended with clay and made into pottery. They can be dispersed into the atmosphere from a rocket, exploded as fireworks or scattered over the ocean, the mountains, or a garden. For a very special tribute, the Eternal Ascent Society will transport the ashes of your pet or loved one to the heavens in a giant helium-filled balloon. At a cost of just over $5,000, a Houston-based company called Celestis, Inc. offers a memorial spaceflight on which the cremains of your loved one are launched into space via a mini-satellite. If you like the idea of your loved one bursting with vivid color and pattern in the night sky, www.celebratelife.net or www.angels-flight.net both offer fireworks displayed from a yacht, beach or land.

My Crystal Companion, which forever captures a piece of your loved one in a keepsake crystal heart or stone. Starting at around $3,000, LifeGem will create a certified authentic diamond between .20 and 1.25 carats from the carbon of your loved one.

With SeaRest Inc., individuals can now have their cremains encased in a cement urn and placed at the base of an artificial memorial reef. For a relatively low cost, Eternal Reefs offers a unique living legacy and an alternative to burial at sea. Using concrete (mixed with cremains), survivors cast a marine reef, make handprints on it, affix a plaque dedicated to the deceased, and then launch the reef into the ocean.

A terrific tool for grief relief is LOV Notes, a memorial plaque that’s also a receptacle for personal messages dedicated to the deceased. The individually handcrafted bronze heart comes in a concrete frame and can be installed in a garden, on a wall, next to a bench, beneath a tree or wherever you feel is appropriate. Along the bottom edge of the heart is an opening through which your note can be slipped. The messages fall into the receptacle, where they remain.

If you are searching for that perfect urn, email me and I can find it for you.  I have access to a variety of urn options.  You should find an urn that says it all for you and serves the purpose of your healing.  We can discuss your vision and I will see that we find that perfect urn.