As the weather starts to warm here and we are starting to see the pop of forsythia, daffodils, and a few early blooming trees, our customers are ordering personalized memorial stones to honor loved ones who didn’t make it through the winter.

Occasionally, friends of the family will order a memorial stone and send as a sympathy gift. Seems like the cardinal stones are a popular choice as a bereavement gift.

We supply stones for a Texas university that operates a history ranch and buys personalized natural looking river rock to recognize their donors.

In Virginia, there is a non-denominational natural burial cemetery run by monks that we supply stones for. This is truly an ashes to ashes, dust to dust concept. Where as some cemeteries may require a burial vault, the monks do not. Cremation urns must be made from organic material, like a woven basket, or biodegradable material. If burial is preferred over cremation, embalming is prohibited and you can do a shroud burial rather than a casket. You pick your spot, the monks will provide GPS coordinates and family can place a personalized stone or flat marker for identification. There is a pavilion on site that you can have a ceremony.

Sometimes co-workers and colleagues will take up a collection and order a stone to be placed in the office courtyard or other location at work to honor an employee that passed away.

Earlier this year, a mother ordered a river rock for her son, who was killed on a job in California. The funeral was held in California since he had lived there for years, but his body was brought back to Texas according to his last wishes, to have his ashes buried near a giant tree on a hill overlooking an incredible view. We had to explain that the rocks were not rush orders and there would be some processing time. She agreed to wait and planned the Texas ceremony for later in the spring.

Last spring, one of our closest friends lost her dad. He was cremated and they planned a private internment on a rugged piece of property that had been in her family for generations. Her dad had grown up there, my friend had lived there for a time and even though no family is on the land now, it holds sacred meaning to them.

Planning the ceremony was an orchestration though, because everyone has moved away, they had to plan around schedule, plus it’s a hike to get to the spot they had chosen and they had to watch the weather to make sure conditions were right.

All in all it was a beautiful and emotional celebration, laying their father to rest in the woods near a waterfall that he had played as a child, rode motorcycles on the trails, camped, explored, hunted for both game and artifacts.

It feels like we will get an early spring here in the Midwest, the hummingbirds don’t usually get here until mid April and we are already getting sightings a little south of here. We launched a couple of new hummingbird styles of urns and hope our families like them.

Two adult size hummingbirds urns in blue or green, sturdy metal designs that are suitable for burial or beautiful enough to display in your home. Hummingbirds are popular with our families, and we offer small keepsakes that can be added to the memorial and gifted to friends and family.

When a coworker dies the whole dynamic at the workplace is changed. The family is grieving, but so are your brothers and sisters in the office or workplace. This can be a difficult and challenging time. Former co-workers at my old employer are dealing with this now.

A beloved coworker was killed riding to work on his bicycle. Several years ago we wrote about ghost bike memorials and said we hoped we never saw one in our town. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to see one now and the bike riding community erected a ghost bike where this young man was killed. It’s a touching way to remember the rider and draw attention to sharing the road.

If you have a work place tragedy and are dealing with the death of a colleague you may want to help but don’t know where to start. Here’s a few tips:

Appoint a Company Representative

This will be the point person to establish contact with the family and will help to streamline communications and organize efforts to assist the immediate family. Cards with remembrances are always appreciated and may even bring a smile during a dark time.

Take Up a Collection.

One of the employees in the story above set up a Go Fund Me account to help the widow and her two small children with the unexpected expenses. Cash can be one of the greatest gifts during this difficult time.

We’ve worked with companies that established an on-site memorial for a deceased co-worker. A memorial stone with the name of the employee is a good way to always remember the departed and is often placed in an outdoor courtyard, on a path, or near a tree or bush planted on the grounds in memory of that person.

Personalized stones can take several weeks to produce, so don’t plan a memorial service for the placement of the stone until you have a good idea of the lead time and when you could expect it.

Click the graphic below for more ideas on gift ideas for the grieving.

The Fall color is nearing it’s peak and we’re busy getting ready for the change in season that’s just around the corner and makes our hearts heavy as we button up the boat and pack up the toys of summer. We’re not winter people, but we try to embrace the inevitable changes that occur and find beauty wherever we can.

Every Autumn, we showcase our Fall Splendor line of cremation urns, part of our Seasons of Life Collection. Cremation urns don’t have to be drab and dark, these styles often have the traditional vase shape but the colors are bright and vibrant shades of red, amber, and gold. Jewelry designs that will hold a tiny bit of ashes styled in a leaf shaped pendant will keep your loved one close to your heart and serve as a mini memorial. 

If cremation jewelry is not your thing, but you want a small vessel to use as a keepsake, many of the adult urns have matching companion pieces in small sizes for families that are going to share the ashes. Often available in vase or heart shaped designs.

Fall is a good time to plant a tree or flowering bush as a living memorial and we have stones and markers that can be personalized for a dedication.

Even though the days are getting shorter and darkness comes earlier, we can help keep your loved one’s memory in the light. Need help? Call or email for personal assistance.

Our clients are our guide as they navigate through difficult journeys. We learn that sometimes it takes a while to find the answers. They teach us about what families are doing to create personal memorials for loved ones and can change with the season. Despite snowy and turbulent spring days families planned tree dedications and small garden memorials, knowing that sunshine and warmer weather would come and light the darkness. A dogwood tree and a small marker for one family, a group of coworkers collected funds to purchase a personalized stone as a tribute to an office mate and will place it in the courtyard.

In addition to multiple pieces of jewelry, one of our families bought several glass vials to be filled with a small amount of ashes because they wanted to hang them from the rear view mirror of their cars. This family was located in the deep south and the funeral director said cremation jewelry was a popular option for families, but displaying the vials in the car was a new idea to her as well.

This summer, roses, hummingbirds, and butterflies have been popular themes that bring comfort and remind us of the season. When Urn Garden first started, choices in urn styles were pretty limited for families, but in the last couple of years there has been an explosion of creativity in the market, more competition and better prices. This creates an advantage for the families, but also can be overwhelming when trying to make a decision during a difficult time. We try to keep it simple by offering the styles that families want and not bombarding them with every urn available. If they want a particular style and it’s not on the site, we’ll try to procure it.

We’re deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve our clients and help them create affordable loving memorials and the lessons they teach us every day.

With the arrival of Spring, thoughts turn to the beauty of the blooming outdoors and the tasks of cleaning up flower beds and tidying up the lawn.  Some of our clients are planning to reserve a small space in their gardens for a memorial stone to pay tribute to a loved one. One family chose to pair a memorial stone with a planting of daisies to commemorate an April birthday. Another client chose a natural river rock stone personalized with baseball artwork to honor a brother who loved the sport.   In addition to high quality marble or granite, the river rock can be engraved with names, dates, and artwork to reflect hobbies or passions.  Sometimes stepping stones are used as a path marker or placed around a bird bath to create a serene setting for wildlife.

Small plaques with a poem or verse could be mounted on the wall or desktop for those that don’t have a lawn or the time to maintain a garden and want to create a memorial on a smaller scale indoors. You could combine live potted plants, silk arrangements of favorite flowers, photos, or framed mementos to add interest and keep the memory alive.

In The Mailbox: One of our clients sent a nice note thanking us for our assistance and the recommendation of a Weeping Cherry for a tree dedication. The Weeping Cherry is one of my favorite ornamental trees and a stunning centerpiece for a memorial tribute. Check your zone out on a garden map, the Weeping Cherry does best in zones 5-8.

Added bonus for the Weeping Cherry tree is they are generally pest and disease resistant and don’t require a lot of pruning.

Here’s an example of a tree dedication, using a personalized river rock garden stone and a Weeping Cherry tree to honor Dave. Simple and elegant.

And then this:

Dear Lenette,

Thank you so much for all that you did to make Nelda’s memorial service even better than she had planned it.

I have always felt that the worst part of any funeral is the time when you leave the cemetery and leave behind someone you loved and have spent a lifetime with. Thanks to your generosity, I brought Nelda home with me and that was such a comfort at a very bad time.

The urn was beautiful (“bee-u-tee-full”, as Nelda would say) and M. loves and cherishes her urn necklace.

Thank you for letting us serve you.

If you are looking for an easy low maintenance planting for a grave site or memorial garden,  a flower that comes to mind is the Purple Coneflower. A personal favorite for it’s wild beauty and the healing properties of Echinacea.   Hearty and drought resistant, they keep reseeding  and come back every year. The genus name “echino” translates in Greek to hedgehog.

Other memorial garden ideas:

Early spring flowers: Bleeding Hearts

Living memorial: Weeping Cherry Tree

The appearance of  snowdrops in early spring is a stirring promise of renewal.

Butterfly bush

Blue hydrangeas

August birth flower: Gladiolus

Assorted memorial garden trees and bushes.

Personalized memorial stones

Looking to the heavens at night, one cannot help gaze at the endless number of stars. It’s comforting and healing to feel that those stars are somehow a symbol or sign that a loved one is looking back or watching over us. Those stars are also a symbol of divine guidance. A five-pointed star represents the Star of Bethlehem, while a six-pointed star represents creation. Inspired by shooting stars, we’ve put together a collection of star themed urns and memorial ideas.

Because of this belief, shooting star memorial keepsakes are popular options for those looking to find a meaning behind a person’s death. Inspired by the mystical sight of a shooting star, mourners can select from star urn necklaces that are discreet enough to wear for any occasion, yet special enough to have on every day.

Another memorial keepsake along the lines of stars and shooting stars is garden stones. These all-weather stones can pretty enough to put indoors and sturdy enough to place in a garden outdoors. One possible verse that can come with this type of stone is “Perhaps the stars in the sky are loved ones letting us know they are near by guiding us through the night.”

Finally, full-size urns and keepsake urns are also available for your loved one’s cremated remains.

The tree in midtown has become a roadside memorial.

There are many ways that scattering methods can be used to create a personalized ceremony. For families that choose scattering as a method of dispersing ashes, many still like to have a small portion of the ashes or a lock of hair incorporated into a small memorial such as a piece of cremation jewelry or keepsake urn . Others prefer creating a memorial that may include a stepping stone , garden plaque, statuary, or a garden sculpture to honor their loved one. Garden stones can also be used indoors or out, and all create loving touches in your sacred space. Whatever your decision, this is a personal choice that is meant to honor and represent your passed loved one as well as heal, restore, and remember the time and life that your loved one spent on Earth.