Your pet may have been small and dainty, or large and clumsy.  Depending on the breed, pets have personalities of their own.  Some are hyper and always on the move, while others are content to lay around snoozing.  Animals, just like people, are very unique. Similar to those for people’s ashes,  urns for pets, just like those for human ashes, can be displayed wherever you like, or placed somewhere personal.  Some are even meant to be used outdoors, in gardens, flower beds and other special areas.

You may think that having an urn sitting in your family room would make you even more sad and depressed.  While this may be the case in the beginning, urns for pets often affect you in a completely different way after you have healed from your loss.  It’s very common for those who have gotten past the grieving stage to gaze at the urn, and think back on some of the best memories they shared with a pet.  Fun times, relaxed times, and even those hilarious times that the whole family was in stitches because of something funny their pet did.  Urns for pets not only help you pay your respects to your pet, they help you keep those special memories firmly implanted in your mind forever.

If you are new to the concept of urns for pets, there are a few things you should know.  First of all, if you aren’t really comfortable with keeping your pets ashes inside, you can keep some other special memento.  You will also find pet cremation jewelry urns, which allow you to keep a small portion of the ashes or other memento inside.  Jewelry allows you to keep your beloved pet close to your heart and soul at all times.

Pets are special.  They never talk back, love you regardless, and are loyal to a fault.  Don’t they deserve special treatment, even in their passing?  Urns for pets are the perfect way for you to say “thank you for being my friend, and making my life better.”

Some of the common mementos that can be put into keepsake are a piece of a special document or the earth where the person is buried. I have seen a piece of a letter that was sent the past put inside a keepsake. This can be used for remembering the person, but more important it can also be inspiration, so that you can feed off the wonderful energy or achievement that this person completed.

Most jewelry is solid. At a store you may find gold or silver jewelry, but many of these cannot be used for a keepsake. For memorial jewelry the item has a space inside for storing something special. This usually is sealed by a screw top, bottom or back. Many of these piece of memorial jewelry cannot house more than one cubic inch. The space inside is quite small and the space to insert the cremains or memento is even smaller. For cremation jewelry you can expect to have a funnel included in your purchase, so that it can be reasonable to insert the cremains. If you do not get a funnel with your purchase, I encourage you to go the local Michael’s Arts and Crafts and pick one. This will make the job much easier. If this job is not for you, it may be a good choice to have another family member insert the cremated remains. And sometimes you can also ask for the funeral home or crematorium to assist you in this process.

There are so many lovely keepsakes to choose from. I suggest having a look around what is on the internet and make sure that you are happy with the look of the item and also the price. Jewelry is a premium item and can easy jump in price. Don’t think because this is a piece of memorial jewelry that it is worth more than it should be. You should always be aware that there are some companies and people that take advantage of people that have lost a loved one. Although there are some people with honesty and integrity and treat you right. Be sure to find the right person, company or funeral home to help you during this difficult time. Thank you for reading.

Our parents taught us early on to share.  Of course with five children, we had to share.  However, I mean a deeper type of sharing.  Occasionally a stranger would show up at the door asking for money.   My parents had little money, but they would give the person a few dollars and a good meal.  They would sit and listen to the story.  Sometimes they could help more, by finding a room for rent or a job to help get the person back on their feet.

That sharing became our way of life.  One of my brothers volunteers to help other fix their houses.  Another has the widest shoulders for people to cry on.  My sister was a story teller and loved to engage children in her whimsical imagination. The youngest brother has an open house to anyone who needs a roof for the night.  I volunteered as a Girl Scout leader, a tennis teacher and a recreation board member to help our local kids have constructive activities.

Our parents went one step further than any of us could go, yet.  They both donated their bodies to scientific research.  Our Father sent his body to Cleveland Clinic and Mom’s went to Emory School of Medicine.

One idea that we children had not considered was that the receiving institution did not charge for our parent’s transport to their facilities.

Do we miss having a grave site to visit on their birthdays?  No.  When we think of our parents we are proud that they continued to help others.  Do people criticize us on our choice?  Sometimes.  But then we feel sorry for those people, because they do not know how to look outside themselves.

As for myself, I have asked my children to donate all my useable parts or donate my physical remains to research.  There is a huge need for donated organs.  Mine are still working, so why not give someone else a better quality of life?  I won’t need my liver (etc.) any more.  This would be the ultimate way to share.

Pet memorials come in plenty of designs, shapes, sizes, materials and color. It therefore might get a bit difficult to choose the right pet memorial to honor your pet. Your pet’s veterinarian is the best for advice and they will help you decide on what memorial will be fitting for your pet. Pet markers and memorials come in a huge variety and you can choose the one that suits your pets personality or you can even choose a much more traditional and simple memorial that is not very expensive.

You can choose your garden or backyard, or even the pathway to your house to install the pet memorial. Pet lovers usually prefer to choose those particular places that their pets loved to frequent or stay in the most. It could be near a flower bed in your garden or it could even be the spot that they loved to dig the most. This should serve as a good memory of the happy times that you have shared with your pet.

Grave markers and pet memorials are not very huge they can therefore be placed discreetly in your garden. It could be a stone that is engraved with a few lines about the personality of your beloved pet. Pet memorial engravers can travel distances to find a stone that is perfectly unique and engrave it with arty font styles and designs, this is because they understand the emotion behind the loss.

There are also online memorials which help pet owners memorialize their dog or cat. This kind of pet memorial is a fairly new concept and is fast catching on. We are considering a website that will offer these wonderful online tributes to pets. These online memorials let you add pictures of your pet along with a few descriptive words of what your pet was like, or you could even add in a poem.  You can upload more than one page and this should allow you to change images of your pet as well. Online pet memorials let you upload videos too, although there is a small one time fee charged since some online space is given to you. There are also wizards that help you design the online pet memorial which are helpful in creating this exclusive concept of honoring your pet.

Pet memorials help you say ‘Goodbye’ to your best friend in a more personalized way. You can arrange these memorials on your mantle, online sites, garden or even the pathway and celebrate the wonderful times shared with your pet companion.

Silver Memorial Jewelry

When you think of memorial jewelry, you may think of something that is ugly, strange looking or simply not attractive enough to be worn frequently, or even every day. Quite the opposite is actually true; cremation jewelry comes in an amazing variety of exquisite materials and designs.

Losing a loved one is tragic. You are often in such grief that you feel that you just cannot cope. Finding a way to hold on to your loved one even though they are gone is sometimes important. Memorial jewelry help you stay connected to your loved one both physically and spiritually. Unique designs allow you to find a special piece that represents the personality, passions and life of your loved one.

All people are unique and have their own special ways of keeping memories of their loved ones alive for as long as possible. For some, it may be photo’s; others hear certain songs that remind them of a special time in the past. Perhaps your loved one kept a diary or journal of sorts that you can occasionally look back through to reconnect. No matter how you decide to gain closure, cremation jewelry is not only something you can keep close to your heart, it is the perfect way to memorialize the one who has gone on to a better place. The Value of a Keepsake discusses more on how this approach helps the grieving process.

Dice Keepsake

Sometimes, whatever you choose to remember your loved one by can closely resonate with their enjoyment in life. For example, suppose your aunt passed away and her most enjoyable times of life were spent in a casino, trying her luck and having a ball. A beautiful Dice Pendant Gold Vermeil Keepsake Urn is an exquisite piece of gold cremation jewelry that would make a fitting memorial to her. Each time you put it on, you would think of the fun she had doing something she so loved, which would give you great comfort.

If keeping a small portion of cremains or other meaningful memento such as a lock of hair is something that you would like, that is possible with cremation keepsakes as well. The beautiful styles and designs that are available mean that you can wear gorgeous jewelry with a special meaning only you know about.

Those you work with or friends you hang out with will never know that the accessories you wear actually hold a very special bond for you and your loved one. So, while you may have thought of memorial jewelry as something strange, it is really quite the opposite – absolutely gorgeous.

Urns for Ashes

The decisions a family faces regarding funeral arrangements when they have lost a loved one are some of the most difficult they will ever face. Even those who choose to plan their own arrangements well in advance of any need to use them still find the task daunting. While the choice of a cremation urn may seem to be a small detail in the overwhelming array of decisions involved, this choice could actually be one of the most important. Because urns for ashes are the one physical representation and memorial of the deceased that will remain as a visual reminder of the deceased long after the funeral services have concluded; the choice of cremation urn that appropriately captures the personality and spirit of the loved one is vital.

Urns for ashes are vases or containers that hold the cremated ashes of a deceased person. When choosing a cremation urn, several important factors should be considered. First among them is size. Some prefer small urns that can be displayed in the home on a mantle or bookshelf while others prefer an urn large enough to contain the remains of more than one person. Often, couples find it comforting to know that their ashes will be intertwined in the same urn once each has died. The main rule to remember is that one cubic inch will house one pound of the person. So that if the person weighed 160 pounds before passing, the urn that will best fit their cremated remains will be from 160-180 cubic inches. This becomes less important when you are purchasing keepsakes and jewelry. Keepsake urns can often hold only 10 cubic inches and it is common for a family to scatter the remains.

Keepsake Urns

Another factor in choosing an urn is the material from which it is made. For those who wish to display the urn long-term in an outdoor setting, metals such as bronze and steel or stones like marble and granite urns for ashes are most common. Conversely, lighter, less sturdy materials like wood or glass are often used for urns that will be displayed indoors. Some families wish to use a decorative urn for display during the funeral services but don’t intend to keep it for long-term display afterward choosing instead to scatter the ashes in some meaningful setting. With the use of biodegradable burial urns made from materials like paper, these families are able to consider the environmental issues involved as well as their desire to honor their loved one.

Perhaps the most difficult decision in choosing a cremation urn deals with its design. Because it attempts to capture the essence of the deceased in visual form, the design of the urn is crucial, and today the choices are endless. They range from the dark-colored traditional vase that has been used throughout history to far more contemporary forms, like baby booties for infants, military equipment for veterans, or sporting goods for athletes, all available in every possible color imaginable. Urns for ashes can now be considered pieces of art like any quality sculpture. Not only are custom-made choices available from artisans who will craft unique designs to the family’s specifications, but more affordable, off-the-shelf options are now available. Because of the creativity the funeral industry has experienced in recent years, imaginative models can now be purchased without the need for custom orders.

Naturally, when families make choices about the size, material, and design for the cremation urn, they must consider price. Too often, families shaken by grief are quick to choose a high-priced option assuming that the more it costs, the better it represents their love and respect for the deceased. But like any other major expense for most people, these choices need to be made on a budget, and simply spending more than necessary because as a response to grief may not be the best way to honor the life of a loved one. The most appropriate way to make a sound decision about how much to spend on an urn is to enter the decision-making process with a maximum amount the family is willing to spend clearly in mind. As they investigate the many options they have, either in person with a funeral sales representative or by themselves online, they should refuse to be swayed into spending more than the price limit they originally decided upon. In this way, they can honor their loved one in a way they can feel good about for many years to come.

It is normal to grieve the loss of a beloved pet. After all, they have been around for years to greet us, protect us and be a playful, loving friend. Dog urns are a wonderful way to pay final respects to a loyal friend who has been there for us even in hardest times or during foul moods when other family members stayed to themselves. Your pet may have even ridden along in the back of your truck as you ran errands, or played Frisbee or catch with you a thousand times. The memories are wonderful; keep them intact with dog urns that really symbolize the personality of your pet.

Whether your pet died simply because of old age, or something more tragic such as an illness or accident took place, you want something truly special as their eternal resting place. From almost comical to truly classic, cremation urns for dogs can represent the life of your dog in an especially fitting and meaningful way. The Fire Hydrant Dog Urn is beautifully crafted to replicate an old fashioned fire hydrant, and makes an amazing display when surrounded by his favorite toys and other meaningful mementos.

Dog Urns

If honoring your dog in a unique way is important to you, the Canine Spirit Cremation Urn is an amazing creation and limited edition piece created by Kitty Cantrell. This dog urn is designed to hold a larger size pet and is absolutely gorgeous. It includes a certificate of authenticity upon registration, and creates a beautiful focal point in any room. When your pet was as much loved as other members of your family, his final resting place must be one as special and unique as he was.

Whether your dog was small or large, you want the perfect memorial piece by which to honor and remember him. Wood, glass, brass, marble and ceramic are a few of the materials that you will find dog urns in. Some are made for outdoors, while others are beautifully crafted so that they can be displayed indoors. You may even want to place yours in a room where you relax often, so that you can reminisce about those enjoyable and fun times you and your dog shared over the years.

If you have lost a much beloved pet, dog urns help you get through the grieving process and allow you to heal. They also help you keep those precious memories alive, never to be forgotten.

While some people and religions still believe that only a traditional casket burial is acceptable, more and more people are turning to cremation, not only because of the money it saves, but because it has real meaning to many.  For example, the saying “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” becomes even more meaningful when cremation urns are used to hold the ashes of a loved one for eternity.  The body no longer matters, it is the soul that goes on forever.

Earlier this year, some very unique cremation urns were featured on the Today Show on NBC. Sue Bailey and Carmen Flowers were there to discuss their new book, Grave Expectations:  Planning the End Like There’s No Tomorrow.  This book was written as a guide to help those who read it prepare for their own death, and was written with a different twist and positive spin.

One excerpt from the book says, “Life is such a rich, complicated, joyous, mysterious, wild ride.  Everyone has stories to tell and lessons to pass on, and what better way to do that than when you’re alive?  It was your life; your funeral is the one time you should do and say absolutely whatever you want.”

The authors provide several examples of memorial vessels that are popular choices, which include biodegradable caskets and several burial urns.  These include a teddy bear urn, baseball urn, and an hourglass urn.  Unlike caskets, cremation urns can be chosen based upon the deceased’s hobbies, personality and passions.  What more fitting way to memorialize the passing of a loved one or favorite pet?

Today more than ever before, people want to show their respect and heartfelt love in a way that is uniquely fitting.  For many, cost is not an issue though cremation is a less costly way to say a final farewell to a loved one.  It’s a simple fact:  Cremation urns offer variety, exceptional workmanship and quality at great prices.  What they also offer is peace for the soul and rest for the mind.

Pere Lachaise is the model for most rural cemeteries built in the United States since 1831, and was the first large cemetery built outside the city walls of Paris.  In the United States, Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge Massachusetts was the first to be built similar to Pere Lachaise, and is still one of the most beautiful to be found.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is buried at Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

In America, Arlington National Cemetery would be among the most famous cemeteries in the world.  This massive burial ground, located just outside of Washington, D.C., is where thousands of people each year go to see not only the grave of John F. Kennedy, but the 360,000 others that belong to veterans.  This cemetery gives everyone who visits a great feeling of patriotism with a touch of American history.

The Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, Romania is a museum and tourist attraction, and is known for the colorful wooden tombstones that are covered with native paintings.  Many tombstones are also adorned with poetry.  Decorated crosses are found throughout the entire cemetery.

Another of the most famous cemeteries in the world is the Old Jewish Cemetery in Josefov, Prague, Chzech Republic.  This ancient cemetery dates back to 1439 and operated until 1787.  Headstones in the Old Jewish Cemetery are deeply weatherworn, and crowded closely together at odd angles.  Hitler requested this cemetery remain intact while many other Jewish cemeteries were destroyed during the holocaust.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery located in Hollywood California is a must see if you are intrigued by movie stars from recent years and decades gone by.  Activities take place at this cemetery such as plays and movies, and tours are provided as well.  Many of Hollywood’s founders and stars are buried here and it is one of Hollywood’s most fascinating landmarks.

These are just a few of the most famous and visited cemeteries in the world.  If you are in any of the areas while vacationing, you really must see these intriguing and beautiful cemeteries – they are definitely out of the ordinary, and worth your time.

For information about green cemeteries and biodegradable urns visit In the Light Urns.