The Journal

Words for the days after, and the years before.

Guidance from care advisors, funeral directors and counsellors — written for people in the middle of it, not for the industry.

All writingGrief & HealingPlanning AheadCeremonies & TraditionsFamily & LegacyPractical Guides
Featured·Grief & Healing

The first seven days, one hour at a time

A gentle walkthrough of the week after a loss — what genuinely needs deciding now, and what can wait until you have slept.

TN
Theo Nakamura
· 8 min read
Read the story
Latest writing · 8 pieces
Practical Guides

Burial or cremation: how families actually decide

Beyond cost and custom, the question is usually about place — where you want to be able to go, and how often.

Rosa Delgado · · 6 min
Ceremonies & Traditions

Writing a eulogy when the words will not come

You do not need to summarise a life. You need one true thing, said plainly, in front of people who loved them too.

Maya Ellison · · 5 min
Planning Ahead

Why people are pre-planning in their forties

Not morbidity — logistics. A generation that has settled someone else's estate is quietly refusing to hand that job on.

Jules Amari · · 7 min
Grief & Healing

What to say to someone who is grieving

Most of us say nothing because we are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Silence is the wrong thing.

Theo Nakamura · · 4 min
Family & Legacy

Your digital legacy is an estate too

Photos, passwords, subscriptions, the account that still posts birthday reminders. A practical audit for the living.

Jules Amari · · 9 min
Practical Guides

Choosing a funeral home without a showroom visit

Six questions that surface how a firm actually operates — and the answers that should give you pause.

Rosa Delgado · · 6 min
Ceremonies & Traditions

Rituals that are not funerals

A walk, a meal, a tree, a playlist. What families are doing instead of — or alongside — the formal service.

Maya Ellison · · 5 min
Family & Legacy

How to raise this with your parents

The conversation nobody starts. A script, an opening line, and what to do when it goes badly the first time.

Maya Ellison · · 7 min
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