Cremation Jewelry
Your loved one will undoubtedly hold a special place in your heart. Now you can keep a part of them close to you forever by storing his or her cremains in a keepsake necklace.  The designs come in many styles and range from understated to ornate and from masculine to feminine. Photo lockets with ash compartments are just one way of commemorating the person that touched your life. You can even pay special tribute to a lost member of the armed forces by getting a military dog tag-style ash and photo locket. With all of the choices available, there’s sure to be a piece that suits your style and price point.

Holiday Keepsakes
The holidays can feel less than celebratory when missing a loved one. Even if that person is no longer a part of the living, he or she can still be part of the holiday season by being specially commemorated with a holiday ornament. One artistic option is a blown glass globe with colors and cremains infused into the ornament. The results are spectacular. Another option is a classic angel with a special ash compartment. Both options help keep the memory of a loved one alive and a special part of the holiday season.

Home Décor Urns
Losing a loved one is like losing part of your everyday life. Now there’s a way to give that person a special place in your home through a truly special home décor item such as a clock, hourglass, music box, candle keepsake, American Indian dream catcher, or hurricane lamp. These items offer a unique compartment for the storage of ashes, and can serve as distinct memorials for those who are no longer with us.

There are so many ways that you can keep your loved one’s memory alive throughout your life. Imaginative ways of storing ashes is a wonderful way to reflect how much that person meant to you. It signifies a deep expression of your eternal love for the departed. Give your loved one the chance to remain an integral part of your life, and their spirit will live on through your fond memories.

Typically, cremation funerals can save thousands compared to traditional burial services.  During increasingly challenging economic times, families are choosing to have cremation funerals to save money, and prevent going further into dept paying for expensive plots, headstones and caskets after losing a loved one. The death of a family member is one of life’s most difficult experiences, and a financial hardship should not add to an already stressful time.
The costs savings of a cremation funeral doesn’t make it a less special way to honor a loved one. Cremation urns are just the final resting place of the deceased. A beautiful memorial service of any kind can still be held, as friends and family gather to tribute to the departed.

Discount Cremation Urns
Cremation urns come in a vast selection of styles and price points. There are many beautifully designed cremation funeral urns at very affordable prices, some even under $100. Discount cremation urns can be found to meet any cremation funeral budget, while making a tasteful impression. A cremation urns with a price tag of hundreds or even thousands of dollars isn’t necessary in order to properly pay your loved one the respect and honor they deserve. Money does not equate love nor create memories.

Type of Cremation Funeral
The type of service you plan to have, and what you will do with the cremation urn all contribute to the kind of urn you will need. Here are a few questions to consider when determining the type of cremation urn you will need, which will affect your budget.:

• Will the cremation urn be displayed at a memorial service?
• Are the ashes to be scattered?
• Will it be displayed in someone’s home?
• Are there several family members sharing the cremains?

Urns used for temporary storage of ashes cost much less than those urn prices vary greatly, and often indistinguishable in price. Don’t think that you have to spend a fortune for a quality urn. The sentiments offered for your loved one to honor and preserve their memory will always remain the same.

What makes them choose teddy bear urns instead of regular cremation urns?  Teddy bears have always been associated with warmth and comfort.  With their loved ones’ remains contained in these stuffed toys, the ones left behind have the chance to continue holding them when they need comfort the most.

What Are Teddy Bear Urns?

When you look at teddy bear urns, you will see that they really are not any different from the regular teddy bear stuffed toys that you will see in any toy store.  They are made of cloth, are stuffed and padded to make them huggable, and are sewn with button eyes, ribbons and other accessories.  Some teddy bear urns also have detachable angel wings included in their design.

What makes teddy bear urns different from the regular stuffed toy is the fact that teddy bear urns contain pockets inside them where an actual piece of memorial jewelry is held.  This small keepsake urn would contain a small portion of the departed person’s ashes.  Thus, when a bereaved person hugs these teddy bear urns that contain his or her loved ones’ ashes, he or she is literally hugging the loved one once more.

Teddy Bear Urns Can Help with Coping

When you have lost someone precious to you, you may often find yourself wishing for another chance to embrace that person and tell that person that you love him or her.  But because that person has already passed away, it is impossible to embrace him or her again.

Teddy bear urns give you a chance to do this, even though you are only substituting the teddy bear for the real person.  Still, the fact that the ashes of the person you want to hug is inside the teddy bear, you are somehow assured of the presence of the person you are missing.

Teddy bear urns are known to be especially comforting to small children who have just lost a parent or pet. Pet urns are generally large and house the cremated remains of the entire animal. But there are several options and you can split up the remains to be kept in a teddy bear urn or scattered in a favorite place.

Horse Urn
The cowboy’s most faithful companion is his horse. The strong bond between man and his steed goes back many years throughout civilization. A faithful companion, the horse is not just a friend, but also a tireless comrade dedicated to best serving the cowboy, while retaining its signature unbridled spirit.

Keepsake Urn Necklace
When you think of a cowboy, some of the first things that you imagine are work-worn cowboy hats and rugged boots. These irreplaceable staples in the wrangler and rider’s wardrobe are synonymous with the cowboy way of life. Discrete and classically designed keepsake urn necklaces in the shape of cowboy hats and western boots are available in gold vermeil and sterling silver.  Also available are horseshoe and horse-shaped keepsake urn necklaces. These pendants can be worn proudly and held close to the heart of the special someone or child who was left behind.

Saddle Urn
It seems completely that a life spent in the saddle should be memorialized with a saddle-adorned urn. Affixed to the top of a wooden urn foundation, the artfully painted resign statuette goes perfectly with western-themed décor. The center of the saddle holds a glass tea candle holder. The urn also comes with an engravable brass plate for personalization. The plate leaves room for a custom message and is comes decorated with an engraved illustration of a horse on it.

The cowboy’s way of life is a time honored tradition that should be respected even after his passing. May the trails be long and stable, and may the campfires be surrounded by good friends from days gone by.

Seek a sympathetic ear
While having room to deal with your emotions in solitude can be a comforting experience, it is important to open the air for expression with a trusted listener. Talk about your feelings of grief with someone who is sympathetic to your loss. Chances are that you’re not the only one who is saddened by the loss of someone special. Sometimes you just need a good shoulder to cry on, or someone to listen as your talk through your feelings.

Grieve in your own way
There are many places that people turn when they are experiencing a loss. While it can be comforting to many to express feelings to family or friends, others seek outside attention. Some turn to religion to soothe emotional pains and to gain reassurance. Others consult the assistance of a therapist to help through the range of emotions that follow a deep loss. Another option is to join a support group for people in mourning. No matter where you find the most comfort, it is important that you are doing this for you. After all, no one knows you quite like you know yourself.

It is ok to cry
Contrary to popular belief, “staying strong” during a crisis is not very beneficial to anyone. When you repress your emotions, you are not allowing the chance to mourn in a healthy way.  Bottling up emotions can be very unhealthy. Plus, holding back emotions can cause confusion to impressionable young children and adolescents. If a child sees that his or her parent is not crying over the loss of a loved one, the child might feel that expressing him or herself in any other way is inappropriate. There’s truly no shame in a good cry, and it’s a huge stress relief.

Don’t expect a timeline
As much as it is human nature to wish for control in one’s life, a roadmap to recovery from a loss is a myth. However, this is not something to be discouraged about. Instead, look at it from the angle of there is no timeline or guide pressuring the right actions for grief. No one grieves in the exact same way, or during the same length of time. Seek solace in the fact that you can take your time to grieve in your own way. It may take a month. It may take a year. It may not be something that ever goes completely away. It’s your call to decide when you have grieved enough. No one else can make that decision for you.

Grief is an amorphous creature. It takes a different form in everyone who is stricken with it. That’s why it’s important to realize that grief is a process that is completely unique to each person who experiences it. They say that time heals all wounds, and grief is no exception. Learn more about grief on our mobile app. Given time, reflection, communication and healthy expression, it is possible to move on from even the deepest loss. Thank you for reading.

The questions are: Will he be cremated and what kind of urn would he want? There comes a time in every person’s life when they have to ask themselves, how will I be memorialized. For William Randolph Hurst it’s a huge mausoleum in Colma, CA and for others it’s having their ashes shot into space with a rocket. I would picture his memorial urn to be something more grounded; something with grace and elegance. With cremation in California now over 50%, it’s more than likely that Mr. Jobs will be cremated.

Often the family chooses to have their beloved’s remains around for some time. This can be a year long while they grieve and accept the loss. Then at the right time, the urn will be buried or the ashes will be scattered. Let’s assume that Steve’s ashes will be kept in the house for the next 90 days, what kind of urn will house his cremated remains?

• I think one of the most appropriate urns that could carry the ashes of one of the most influential people in technology in the last 100 years, is a titanium box. It would have a sleek design with round edges and a smooth matte finish. With a small logo, picture or symbol that would sit in the bottom corner.
• Another first thought is that his ashes will be held inside a mac =). It would be wonderful if he stated that he would like this. Although not likely, I think his influence on this world greatly began with the introduction of the original Mac computer.
• Or perhaps something more traditional like a marble urn. On that urn could be engraved with the Apple logo (the company was his ship to changing this world). Marble has been used for thousands of years in memorials and most of the Greek and Italian sculptures are in marble.
• Perhaps Mr. Jobs would like a headstone cremation urn. This dignified approach allows a person’s remains to be out in a cemetery, enclosed in a granite upright headstone. His photo and information about his life can be engraved on the front this headstone.

Whatever his (or his family’s) choice, I hope that he is memorialized with simplicity, class and the modernism that he is so famous for. Rest in peace Steve Jobs.

Choosing the best urn for you and your loved one is a deeply personal decision, but an essential part of the memorial process. Here are a few important factors that will help you select the right type of cremation urn to memorialize your loved one.

1. Choose Your Price Point
Establishing your budget can help you narrow down the selection of cremation urns fairly quickly. You will find a wide array of prices, so determining your budget from the beginning can help guide your research and decision-making. Remember, with the various materials in the market today, cost doesn’t necessarily equate quality or style. Many wonderful urns made of pewter, brass and natural materials such as palm are available at our discount urns page. At the same time, unlimited customized designs are available at prices often ranging into the thousands. Higher priced urns are typically crafted from precious materials such as bronze, gold or marble and include personalization options like engraving. Even if your budget is unlimited, you may find the perfect urn for significantly less.

2. Decide on a Display or Resting Place
An essential factor in the selection of a cremation urn is determining where the urn will be kept after the funeral or memorial service. Choosing a memorial urn that will be displayed in your home serves a very different function than one that will be buried. If the urn will be displayed in an indoor environment, most styles are appropriate. There are even many highly decorative, beautiful cremation urns made of colorful glass, crystal or porcelain that look like handcrafted pieces of art and will complement your décor. If the intent is to bury the urn or display it somewhere outdoors, like in a garden, you will need to buy something more durable such as a metal or marble urn. Cremation urns of any kind are suitable for burial if they are housed in an urn vault, which varies in price depending on the form. If you are planning to scatter ashes or have a water burial, look into scattering bio travel urns. These types of urns are biodegradable and are designed specifically to slip into nature without a negative impact on the environment.

3. Consider Style & Personalization
Traditional cremation urns are typically made of materials such as metal, wood, stone, glass or ceramic. But, you do not have to stay within bounds of tradition if you feel that your loved one would be better memorialized with a unique or customized keepsake. Many options are available to commemorate your loved one’s personality and style. You may want to choose a patriotic urn to honor a veteran from the armed services, a sports urn to pay tribute to an avid golf or football fan or an urn designed as a motorcycle or car for a transportation enthusiast. Cremation jewelry is very popular, and the most personal and custom-designed option. Due to the size, several pendants or lockets can be made and worn by family or friends. If you want something unique, but still a more traditional urn, consider adding a photo of the deceased or engraving a special poem into the urn.

Once you’ve determined the style of cremation urn you need, the final factor to consider is the volume the urn must have in order to hold your loved one’s ashes. Generally, you’ll need around one cubic inch of space for every pound of body weight prior to cremation. If you’re still not sure which size to choose, lean towards the larger option.

Cremation urn options are extensive, personal and continually growing. No matter what type of urn you choose to memorialize your loved one, it will create a special and lasting memorial. Funeral information and advice is also available on your iphone or android. See our mobile application today.

It is extremely difficult to lose a loved one, but cremation keepsakes allow you preserve their memory and keep their presence with you in a very special and personal way. Cremation keepsakes come in a variety of forms from jewelry to home décor and even pens. These types of cremation keepsakes hold ashes, locks of hair, dried flowers or other personal, sentimental items. Here are a few unique and customizable forms of cremation keepsakes that help maintain the memory of a loved one in a very special and deeply personal way.

Jewelry
Keepsake jewelry can be filled with a loved one’s ashes to always keep them close to your heart. Rings, lockets, and customized pieces in the shape of a cross, angel or even rosary beats create a very personal memorial that can be with you all the time.  A cremation keepsake in the form of jewelry is one of the most intimate sentiments you can create.

Home Décor
The memory of your loved one can be kept alive with a cremation keepsake such as a candle, clock, hourglass, or figurine of an angel or other spiritual symbol. These types of cremation keepsakes don’t look like traditional urns and create a final resting place that might be only known to you or other close family and friends.

Teddy Bears
The comforting hug of a teddy bear can span all ages.  Especially for children, dealing with the loss of a parent, grandparent or sibling can be very upsetting and quite confusing. Most children already love stuffed animals and look to them for comfort and security, especially during difficult times. Teddy bear keepsake urns create very special friends for children when they’re feeling sad and miss someone they love.

Accessories
Cremation keepsakes come in many forms now including personal accessories like key chains and pens. These create very subtle yet intimate reminders of a loved one that can be used in daily life, but only known to the user. Each of these small cremation keepsakes can hold a small portion of cremains, a lock of hair, crushed flowers or other sentimental memento. The key chain gives you the feeling that your loved one is with you always, as you open the door to your home or drive in the car; while the pen can inspire heartfelt wishes writing notes and letters, or even writing checks to charities in the person’s name.

No slouch religiously, Evans was the third bishop of East Anglia, previously parish priest at St Augustine’s in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and ordained as priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark in 1975. He spent two years as assistant priest at St Elizabeth’s in Richmond, Surrey, and was a dedicated patron of the Catholic Grandparents Association. It was this association that ‘spilled the beans’ about the holy man’s decision.

A statement made by the Catholic Grandparents Association made it clear that the Bishop’s committal was to be held prior to cremation at the City’s Crematorium. This statement included dates, times, locations, even parking directions for visitors. With the Catholic Church’s obvious advocacy of traditional burial, it’s surprising that the Bishop made this choice, and not surprising that the news didn’t spread far.

The Church once spurned cremation as a pagan practice, and made no official statement regarding the Bishop’s decision. Cremation is considered contrary to the Christian belief in the resurrection of the body and immortality of the soul. Yet, unable to deny the power of God to resurrect a pile of ashes as easily as a spoiled corpse, the church acquiesced to cremation in 1969. Below are a few stipulations the Church places on the practice.

1)    The ashes may never be scattered, but kept together in their entirety.
2)    The ashes must remain in a “worthy vessel.”
3)    Cremation must not be performed for reasons contrary to the Christian teaching. (As in to deny the resurrection.)
4)    The ashes must be interred in a cemetery or stored at a columbarium (a church location designed to store and display urns), not kept in the family home or distributed among relatives and friends.

The ordained are generally expected to uphold the tradition of burial, and convince their flocks of the value of this practice. A baptized person’s body is anointed with the seal of the Holy Trinity and considered a temple of the Holy Spirit. The burning of this vessel is not seen as respectful. It’s also generally accepted that were a person, especially a priest or bishop, to be canonized (considered a saint) then their earthly remains would be exhumed for reverence and the collection of relics.

It must be assumed that Bishop Evans carefully considered his choice, involving much prayer and careful thought. He also would have made his wishes well known, and no doubt fell under a controversial eye or two. He is said to have casually mentioned wanting to be cremated and even blessed his own Cathedral’s columbarium.

As available land area for cemeteries dwindles and economic concerns become urgent for most families, it’s not surprising that a call for relaxation of Church attitudes toward cremation has been heard. We may not see an uprising of crematoriums in Rome anytime soon, but as new attitudes are expressed and embraced by more and more people, we may not be shocked by the end-of-life choices people make, whether that person is a pauper or a Pope.