Collaborative post
If you have a loved one that has passed away lately, then you might be thinking about how you can say goodbye to them. A burial might be the most traditional approach, but it may not be one that you can afford, or perhaps they may have specifically requested not to be buried. However, cremation does not have to feel any less respectful or meaningful. Here are some ways to make sure that a cremation feels like the appropriate way to say goodbye.
Hosting a memorial service
First of all, just because you are holding a cremation rather than a burial does not mean that you don’t have a memorial. You do have an option for a direct cremation, which doesn’t include memorial or funeral services. However, if you wish, you can get in touch with a funeral director and have a cremation service hosted for them.
Keeping their memory with you
One of the advantages of choosing cremation is that it allows you to keep your loved one with you, in a way. A lot of people choose to purchase a cremation urn that will keep the ashes from the cremation somewhat that they can host it. This can help you feel like your loved one is closed by and still an important part of your life.
Dispensing the ashes
If you do not like the notion of keeping a loved one’s ashes nearby, then you don’t have to. Instead, you can choose to scatter their ashes. You can choose a place that had meaning to them, and places of natural beauty are often chosen as the right place to scatter ashes. You can also invite some friends to the event so that you can hold a eulogy there, or you can do it in private if you so choose.
Setting a place for them
Whether you do choose to scatter the ashes or not, you might feel like cremation is missing the traditional memorial appeal of having a gravesite to visit and pay your respects that comes with a burial. However, that doesn’t necessarily have to be true. You can purchase a wide range of cremation headstones. These can be placed in a cemetery of your choice with the permission of those running it, or you can keep it on a piece of land that you have bought, yourself.
Unique ways to remember them
A lot of people choose to keep at least some of the ashes from the cremation but to keep in a way that keeps their loved one close to them. For instance, there are cremation necklaces and pendants that allow you to wear an accessory that makes sure your loved one is always near, in a manner of speaking. There are even services that can turn ashes from a cremation into diamonds for a fee, as a way of memorial upcycling.
Saying goodbye is going to be emotional and impactful however you do it, and it doesn’t necessarily require a box in the ground. Hopefully, the points above help you see that.