Hello everyone:

Rumor has it that more than one person is cremated at a time and that you may not be given your whole relative (or perhaps you might get part of someone else!) when the crematory gives you the ashes. This is not true; it is actually illegal to do this in the United States, unless it is a case of death during childbirth.  Note: You must take the ashes back, so what will you do with them? One of my friends had her hubby’s ashes turned into a bench (along with some concrete and rebar) and she frequently goes out to the riverfront where the bench is and sits on him.

I hope you  discussed this with your mate ahead of time or you may have found yourself holding a box of ashes and having no clue what to do with them. One woman I knew took her mom’s ashes and dumped them down the garbage chute at her condominium but this seems rather disrespectful.

Do you have any suggestions for what to do with the cremated remains of your dearly beloved? I would love to hear some practical, or even funny, ideas that you have come up with for handling this delicate situation. (Please note that, with your permission, I would like to use some of the ideas in my next book, Suddenly Single for Married Couples: A Practical Guide to Hoping for the Best but Preparing for the Worst.

Best,

Dr. Sheri