Modern Memorial Ideas: How Families Honor Loved Ones Outside Formal Ceremonies
Today’s family grieves differently than in the past, with many creating new ways to memorialize departed loved ones. This makes sense if you think about how modern families are doing everything differently, and consider how much the world has changed over the last several decades. From the cost of a traditional funeral rising as dramatically as the interest in cremation, to social media shifting how we grieve, the new world we live in has changed. From planting a tree in a memorial forest to scattering ashes at sea, let’s explore how families are honoring loved ones beyond traditional ceremonies.
Why Modern Families Are Redefining Remembrance
Before we go into why families these days are redefining remembrance, let us remember the universal human thread that grief demands memorials. It is simple common sense to imagine that a modern world would shift our grief practices. There are two main reasons why many families are choosing memorial alternatives: the cost of formal ceremonies and the presence of social media.
Since 2014, the cost of a traditional funeral and burial has ballooned by 31.25%, while a casket alone costs thousands of dollars. Rising costs of living and inflation have cut deeply into American pocketbooks, and simply put, paying thousands of dollars for a “normal” burial is out of the question for most families. Enter cremation, the affordable and more environmentally friendly alternative to a casket burial. Cremation, no matter where you live, is markedly less expensive and offers a variety of memorial options, including but not limited to ash scattering ceremonies, display urns, and memorial jewelry.
Second, it is now standard practice to leave a deceased person’s social media accounts up as a lasting memorial. Modern memorials often include a digital component, which, like cremation, opens up avenues for creative memorialization. From yearly photo memories to memorial social accounts like Ecorial, designed to remember and honor those we’ve lost, many families are finding comfort in taking their grief online.
Everyday Rituals That Hold Deep Meaning
Where a funeral and a burial are a singular event, cremation allows for tangible remembrance to extend for decades to come. Even if you don’t choose to hold on to some of the cremation ashes for display or keepsake urns, visiting the favorite place your loved one used to hike or feed ducks where you scattered their ashes can be just as meaningful as visiting a grave site, if not more so.
Rituals closer to home can hold deep meaning, whether that’s the planter urn you have discreetly displayed in your living room, the memorial necklace you wear daily, or any cremation keepsake (made from ashes or not) you have at home. Simply noticing a keepsake throughout your day can be pretty comforting.
How Personal Rituals Support Emotional Healing
Personal rituals have held deep human meaning since the dawn of time, but modern science is now backing up what we’ve all instinctively known during times of grief: rituals bring comfort. Whether it is looking at a photo of a loved one, lighting a candle to remember them, or holding a memorial or cremation keepsake, these regular, daily acts can ease us through profound loss.
Finding comfort during grief and loss is not something to take lightly. Many people find the tangible aspect of cremation deeply comforting, whether it is from an urn in their living room or their personal set of cremation stones made from ashes; having something to touch or see daily can be quite healing.
Incorporating Nature into Modern Remembrance
Static memorials, while reverent and beautiful, can foster a sense of time passing…in a fading, decaying sort of way. Burial plots become overgrown, or headstones chip and fade. Living memorials also incorporate the passage of time, but in a living kind of way. There’s been a surge of interest in “becoming a tree after you pass” over the past several years, as people seek meaningful ways to be remembered. Even if a person never considered having their ashes planted with a tree, many people find memorial plants both honoring to their loved one and a tangible source of comfort while they grieve. Whether you plant a memorial houseplant, a tree in your backyard, or make use of a memorial tree forest, a living memorial grows with you over time.
Learn How The Living Urn Supports Personal Remembrance
Here at the Living Urn, we offer a wide range of contemporary urns, memorial jewelry, and cremation keepsakes. We also have a memorial forest where you can safely plant a Living Urn Memory Tree in honor of your loved one. Whether you are looking for the perfect scattering urn or a way to turn your loved one into a beautiful tree, let the Living Urn help you remember and honor your loved one.