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Even though death happens all the time, people often find themselves in a difficult position when confronted with a grieving friend, family member, co-worker or acquaintance. The loss of a loved one can be crushing, taking over someone’s life in ways that they did not expect. It’s not surprising for them to need to take a step back for a while, or find new ways to move about the world.

The way that people around them react to the situation can have a significant effect. Although most people mean well, they sometimes say things that don’t convey their love and support. In some cases, statements can be actively harmful, hurting relationships for the long-term. By considering the impact of these problematic statements, it’s easier to know what to avoid.

People

Mountains have long transfixed, tugged, tantalized, and terrified humankind. These lofty heights, so far removed from the day-to-day realm of most people, have often appeared as the haunts of the gods, portals between Earth and divine reaches. Depending on the culture and the individual, they’ve been places to seek out for spiritual stimulation, or ones to leave entirely alone as a rarefied and dangerous domain. Mountains have also managed to remain, in large part, refuges of wildness and wilderness. Their more pristine character translates to practical ecological services, including as critical fountainheads supplying vast numbers of lowlanders with freshwater.

When people choose burial, a traditional form of death care, the more limited set of options becomes clear.  One seeks and chooses the availability of the cemetery burial location, the casket, the headstone options, the funeral home, and a few other arrangements.  Once the funeral and graveside ceremony is completed, paying respects and saying your goodbyes are completed to some extent. 

Cremation, on the other hand, comes with a few unique options that can make the memorializing of the person not only a ceremony to honor them but also a moment of closure and beauty to everyone closest to the person. In particular, choosing to scatter the ashes of a loved one in a unique location can provide a deeper sense of letting go of the pain while embracing the beauty of how the natural world works.

Set me free in the wilderness,

Where my spirit soars among the clouds,

Where my heart breaks loose from its chains,

And Nature is a balm for my soul.

Turn me loose to wander the mountains and valleys

With sun-dappled wildflowers and sparkling brooks,

Where my thoughts resonate in the deep silence,

Days and nights are measured by the sun and the moon,

And where I feel eternally at home.

When choosing the material for a memorial, memento, award or decorative piece, glass almost always wins out over wood or metal. It’s bright, fresh, clean and long-lasting, and when it catches the light it glitters and sparkles like nothing else.

Engraving glass with words and date or a picture, turns it from something attractive into a unique piece of work that will help you remember a key moment or an important person or achievement. There are many different types of glass and several ways to engrave it. 

This guide will help you decide which will best meet your needs.

Glass comes in many types and an almost limitless variety of shapes. Glass composition affects both appearance and cost. Only by understanding the differences can you pick the type and style that’s right for your purpose or application. Again, this guide will help you choose.

It also matters who does the engraving. Some engravers can only do surface engraving. Others may claim

Subsurface engraved crystal glass is being used more frequently for awards, trophies, and displays of recognition. These beautiful mementos provide an elegant and lasting way to not only preserve a moment or picture, but to do it in a way that’s both tasteful and eye-catching.

Honoring and memorializing a loved one in crystal glass is an increasingly popular application of 3D subsurface engraving. A beautiful memorial crystal with a 3D picture engraved inside is a truly special way to celebrate those we love.

When there is a choice of cremation, how do people celebrate the life of their loved one? What type of funeral or memorial is appropriate?

How do you plan a cremation ceremony? Thinking about putting a cremation ceremony together to celebrate and remember the life of someone you love is a final act of love – and a big job.