Sandy’s Blog

A woman I met in December 2025 expressed happiness that human composting had come to our state. Really? I was highly skeptical, knowing that our state has NOT YET passed legislation to legalize this process. Bills in support have been…

I’ve been deeply touched this week while reading the final sections of a book titled, “The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City Of Angels,” by Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans (2024). I was especially moved by Chapter 12, which…

On a beautiful morning in August 2024 I visited Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst. I’ll share a few photos to illustrate a variety of different settings in this large cemetery established in 1887. Rebecca Fricke, general manager of Wildwood Cemetery, greeted…

“Stop spreading ashes on idyllic Bridge of Flowers” was a news headline last summer. (News413, June 29, 2023). Gardeners at the beautiful Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, were asking the public to stop putting cremated remains of pets…

I’m learning about new options in death care, and optimistic about changes now underway. I’m eager to help share the news. On Saturday morning May 6, 2023, I attended a Zoom program hosted by the FCA of Greater Rochester on…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been paying attention to comments from consumers, and is taking steps to strengthen the Funeral Rule. We are delighted that FTC now proposes requiring ONLINE posting of itemized prices. This is a major victory….

Today, April 1, 2022, is a day to be cautious. You might be tricked by an April Fool’s joke. But the news article published today in the Daily Hampshire Gazette about our organization is no joke. The headline “Funeral Consumers…

What is Aquamation? That question leads the headline in recent news about the final arrangements requested by Bishop Desmond Tutu. For example: The Washington Post 1/2/22:  “What is aquamation, the burial practice Desmond Tutu requested instead of greenhouse gas-emitting cremation?”  The Guardian…

On the evening of November 18, 2020, a ZOOM meeting co-hosted by FCAWM and FCAEM focused on the challenges presented by “unclaimed bodies” and by indigent cases in Massachusetts. We titled this virtual event “Raising the Alarm about Bodies in Limbo: Delays in…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit Massachusetts hard this spring, many adjustments have had to be made. Large gatherings are not allowed, and even small gatherings require extra spacing for safe “distancing” between people, so conventional full funeral services are not possible…