If you're planning to be cremated after you die, you should also give some thought to what you want to happen to your ashes after the cremation. The Cremation Association of North America reports that people choose one of three ways to handle cremated remains – either burying them, scattering them, or keeping them. If you're trying to decide which of these is right for you, it's worth noting that burying them in a graveyard or storing them in a mausoleum can be pricy, and scattering them can come with a lot of restrictions. Asking someone to keep an urn around the house may not sound palatable to everyone, but there are a few options that will allow your loved ones to store remains in a meaningful and creative way. Check out a few of those options now.

Plant a Tree

Planting a tree is a fairly common way of honoring someone's life. A memorial tree urn allows your ashes to become a part of the soil that surrounds and nourishes a young tree. If you want your remains to stay on family property, this is a good option for you. Choose a favorite type of tree and leave instructions for it to be planted on the property with your ashes.

Tree planter urns are made from an ecofriendly, biodegradable material and come with a mix of nutrients that will ensure that your tree gets a good start and puts down healthy roots. The person that you've designated to plant your ashes will simply need to transfer them into the urn and then bury it to plant the tree.

Create Heirloom Jewelry

You may have heard that it's possible to have your cremated remains made into a diamond. That is one possibility, but it's not the only way to incorporate your remains into jewelry that will be passed onto your descendants. Many providers of cremation supplies offer charms or necklaces with hollow pendants that will hold at least a small portion of your remains.

Because most jewelry keepsakes will hold only a small amount of cremation ash, this is a good option for a parent or grandparent of many children who would all like a keepsake. Rather than your remains being stored in one place, they'll be stored with each of the people that want a special reminder. Furthermore, jewelry passed down through families often has significant historical and emotional value, and this is a unique way to create such an heirloom in your family.

Become A Work of Art

If art is important to you, or if it's something that's valued in your family, you might consider commissioning a special painting to be done that uses paint mixed with your ashes. There are services that specialize in this kind of work, but you could also just as easily hire any willing local artist in your area.

You could have the artist create a portrait of you based on photographs, a picture of something that has significance for your family, or just a pleasing work of art that your family can choose later. With your ashes incorporated into the painting, you'll be a constant presence in the home of whoever owns the painting, and you'll have created a piece of family artwork that can be treasured for generations.

However you decide to have your remains handled after your passing, it's important to talk to your family members about it ahead of time, particularly those who are most likely to be handling the arrangements for your remains and memorial. That way, you can be sure that your wishes will be observed. Have a trusted cremation service provider, such as J Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel, lined up to have your needs respected. 

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