Resources

Gardens of Memory Blog

Explore our blog for valuable content about cremation, burial, how to write an obituary, coping with grief and much more.

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Reading Time: 7 minutes Whether it’s getting in shape, learning a new skill, or cultivating better habits, setting goals for a new year is a tradition that dates back thousands of years. However, studies show that only a fraction of these resolutions

Grief, Holidays

A Guide for Coping with Grief at the Holidays

Reading Time: 5 minutes The holidays are traditionally filled with joy and celebration, though for some, it can be a profoundly challenging period, especially if they are coping with the heavy weight of grief. Below are some tips to help you navigate

Grief, Holidays

How to Support Someone Who’s Grieving During the Holidays

Reading Time: 6 minutes If you have a friend or family member who is grieving during the holidays, it’s important to offer your support in a way that is meaningful and helpful. Here are five specific ways to support someone who is

Grief, Holidays

The First Christmas After a Loss

Reading Time: 6 minutes December is different this year. Different for my husband and his brother and two sisters. Different for my mother-in-law. Different for us. My father-in-law Max passed away in July at 94. Now, we are experiencing all of the

Grief

7 Ideas to Help You Through Grief at the Holidays

Reading Time: 5 minutes No matter when a death occurs, holidays are particularly difficult to navigate. Holiday memories of past joys are particularly cutting when we are currently grieving. I was reminded of this when I saw a Today Show segment with

Funeral, Funeral Planning

A Daughter’s Guide to Planning a Funeral

Reading Time: 7 minutes They raised you, provided for you and supported every wish, whim, hope and dream. And now, when it comes to celebrating and commemorating your parent’s life, how do you pull all of the pieces together and both say

Funeral Planning, Grief, Guidelines, Resources

Helping a Parent Through Grief: A Daughter’s Guide

Reading Time: 7 minutes When my father died my mother found herself alone for the first time in nearly 60 years. Since meeting at 18 they had done everything together, from college to first jobs to big moves, all underscored by a

Burial, Funeral Planning, Guidelines, Resources

The Complete Guide to Burials

Reading Time: 8 minutes When a loved one dies, one of the immediate next steps is planning the burial. Even those who opt for cremation may choose a cemetery burial, making this a critical consideration for virtually everyone. While it may seem

Burial, Cremation, Funeral, Funeral Planning, Guidelines, Resources

Guide to Planning a Funeral

Reading Time: 7 minutes Planning a funeral doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated, but it can feel overwhelming. Start here with Graceland’s Complete Guide to Planning a Funeral. With step-by-step insights and actionable strategies for finalizing every detail, you’ll have the tools you

Guidelines, Resources

The Complete Guide to Memorial Services

Reading Time: 10 minutes Planning a memorial service can often seem complicated, especially when trying to plan one in the midst of your grief. To help you, we’ve created this simple Guide to Memorial Services. Here you’ll find everything you need to get

Grief, Guidelines, Resources

Helping a Sister Through Grief – A Sister’s Guide

Reading Time: 6 minutes Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends. So begins author Joan Didion’s memoir “The Year of Magical Thinking” in which she shares what life and grieving were

Grief, Guidelines, Resources

Things to Say to Someone Who’s Grieving

Reading Time: 3 minutes Though we’re all well acquainted with how to celebrate happy occasions with people, sad ones are more fraught with worry. It’s sad, it’s awkward, and it’s hard to know what exactly to say when someone you know experiences

Grief, Guidelines, Resources

Things You Can Do When Someone You Know Suffers a Loss

Reading Time: 4 minutes After a lifetime of helping families with final arrangements, we can tell you that the most frequent questions we get aren’t about headstones, caskets, memorial services, or burials. When people ask those questions, what they really want to

Funeral, Funeral Planning, Guidelines, Resources

What To Wear To A Funeral

Reading Time: 3 minutes With funeral traditions changing so quickly, what to wear has become a very common question. In the 1970s, for example, it was unthinkable not to wear your traditional best to a funeral. Men wore a suit, or jacket

Cremation, Funeral, Funeral Planning, Guidelines, Resources

The Complete Guide to Cremation

Reading Time: 7 minutes Planning a cremation doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. You can learn everything you need to know with our simple and comprehensive guide to cremation. What do scientist Albert Einstein, psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, musician George Harrison, and actor Christopher

Eulogy, Funeral, Funeral Planning

How to Write a Eulogy: 3 Tips for Creating a Heartfelt Tribute

Reading Time: 6 minutes When Steve Jobs’ sister Mona Simpson delivered his eulogy she began with herself, explaining her life before she first met her brother at the age of 25. Mona was raised by a single mother and unaware she had

Funeral, Funeral Planning, Guidelines, Resources

Flowers & Their Meanings

Reading Time: 5 minutes You don’t have to be a professional florist to know what flowers to include in your sympathy arrangement. Here is a guide on how to choose sympathy flowers, including types of flowers to send and their meanings. Food

Guidelines, Resources

What to Write in a Sympathy Note

Reading Time: 6 minutes The sympathy note that goes along with a floral arrangement or one that you write in a card you send in the mail has one simple rule, says the Emily Post Institute: Say what you truly feel. Many

Funeral Planning, Guidelines, Resources

How to Write an Obituary: Five Tips

Reading Time: 6 minutes We’ve all read the traditional obituaries packed with the the names, places, people, career highlights that defined a person’s life. And while these examples should make it easy to put pen to paper, when we’re called on to

Cremation, Funeral Planning

Which to Choose: Burial or Cremation?

Reading Time: 3 minutes How do you choose between cremation vs. burial? Not sure what you prefer? Here are some things to consider to help you make the best decision. Advantages of Cremation The cremation rate in the U.S. has almost doubled

Funeral Planning, Resources

What to Do First When Someone Dies

Reading Time: 7 minutes What to Do First When Someone Dies Who do I call? What should I say? Here’s what to do first when someone dies, and what to do in the hours and days that follow. What should you do