Melt me into a paperweight for all my loved ones!

Here is my beautiful granddaughter Gabriella Marie Ruessler or "Gabby" for short. This picture was taken while we were at the funeral home making arrangements for Martha. It was nice to hear a baby's laugh during such a trying time. Hannah had her laughing so hard. She is just the sweetest thing. I think we'll keep her! We had a private viewing this afternoon before the cremation. Martha's remains will then be returned to Missouri for a memorial service. We are unsure of exactly when the service will be held. We are also unsure of my ability to travel down to Missouri as my next round of chemo is scheduled for this upcoming Wednesday.

I was surprised by the different items available to memorialize a loved one. Cremation jewelry is among the newest and most popular ways to memorialize loved ones. Cremation jewelry is, simply put, jewelry that contains some of the cremated ashes of a deceased family member or loved ones. Cremation jewelry has many names and comes in a variety of forms. Cremation jewelry is a modern take on cremation, an old practice, dating back to the days of the Vikings, the ancient Hindi societies and others who cremated (and still do cremate) their honored dead.

Traditionally, cremation memorials were simple vase-like pieces of pottery in which a cremated person's ashes were stored and displayed for generations. Such traditional cremation memorials are still common, but cremation jewelry is an important new compliment to these memorials. Families will often store most of the loved one’s ashes in a more traditional memorial, such as an urn, but then use cremation jewelry to share the remainder of the ashes among far flung relatives. Cremation jewelry, filled with tiny portions of a loved-one’s ashes assures that family memories will always be nearby for those wanting to preserve them.

Today’s cremation jewelry is available in many styles and materials, and may serve many purposes. It is as unique as the people it memorializes. Cremation jewelry comes in the form of attractive, pendants, bracelets and other items that have a small container in which a portion of the cremated ashes can be kept. This is a unique keepsake for those who would like to keep part of their loved ones close in a physical way.

Or you can get a Memory Glass Keepsake (what I refer to as a paperweight). The Memory Glass Keepsakes are hand blown and formed to a marvelouse glass sculpture in which the ashes of your loved are melted in. You can see lines and streaks of ashes in combination with colorful lines through the crystal glass. This family heirloom will memorialize your loved one in a unbelievable piece of modern glass artwork. The glass memory keepsakes require only a small amount of ashes. Many different colors can be created for different family members. I absolutely agree with cremation and I love paperweights, so go ahead and "melt" me into paperweights for all my loved ones!