Three Reasons That You Don't Want To Open Your Loved One's Urn

When your loved one is cremated, you'll often visit the funeral home to pick up the urn of the cremated remains. If you've decided that you'll keep the urn on the mantle of your home or elsewhere it will have a special location, you may be tempted over time to open the urn and take a look. Doing so isn't necessarily morbid — some people simply have a curiosity that may get the better of them. Even if you're tempted to do so, it's generally a good idea to keep the urn closed. Here are some reasons to leave the urn and the remains as they are.

Doing So May Be Highly Emotional

While it's true that you know your loved one has passed away and his or her body has been cremated, opening the urn and looking at the cremated remains may be highly emotional. This might not be the way you wish to remember your loved one; in the same way that some people don't like viewing a deceased body when the casket is open at a funeral, you may prefer to remember your loved one when he or she was living. Seeing the cremated remains is a memory that you won't be able to go back on, and you may wish you'd kept the urn shut.

Cremated Remains Can Sometimes Contain Bone Pieces

In some cases, an urn of cremated remains won't just be the fine powder that you expect you will see. Instead, it may contain a few small bone shards. This isn't something that you really want to see — while seeing the ashes themselves may not create much of an emotional response for everyone, seeing the bones may be a little disturbing. By keeping the urn closed, you won't have to worry about this issue.

The Ashes May Escape

It might sound silly, but when you open the urn, there's a chance that some of the ashes will be released into the air. For example, if the cremated remains are close to the top of the urn, the jolt of prying off the lid may release some of the remains into the air. This is certainly not what you want to have happen, as you'll not only be shocked by the sight, but you'll then have to vacuum up the ashes or find a different way to dispose of them. By keeping the urn shut and simply enjoying its presence, you'll save yourself each of the above problems.

For more information about taking care of an urn after a cremation, contact a company like Final Care Cremation Services.