Like Sands Through The Egg Timer....

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Vanitas-Still-Life-with-a-Tulip-Skull-and-Hour-Glass-Posters_i1342888_.htm

My father used to joke with my mother that when she died, he would put her ashes in an egg timer. That, he said, would be the first time she ever helped him make breakfast. This was just a joke forty years ago, but today people do many more unusual things with cremated remains.

Here is just a beginning of a list:

• Shotgun shells...Deer hunters can continue their involvement after death by having their cremated remains placed in shotgun shells and salt licks.
• Shot into Space...Join Tim Leary and others with a small portion of your cremated remains shot into a low earth orbit ( the flight is wildly expensive, and temporary, as the remains will eventually return to earth.)
• Jewelry...All kinds of jewelry is available to hold a portion of cremated remains.
• Ocean Reef...Eternal Reefs will mix your cremated remains with cement, creating a habitat for sea life on the ocean floor.
• A girl's best friend...LifeGems and others transform the carbon elements in cremated remains into actual jewels.
• Sculpture...Memory Glass incorporates a portion of cremated remains into blown glass sculptures and pendants.
• Painting...There are several services that produce paintings with cremated remains mixed into the paint.
• Keepsake urns...Many families split a loved one's cremated remains into several portions. Some may be buried, some kept, some scattered.
• Christmas Tree Ornaments...The down-side on this one could be feeling bad about packing the person away after Christmas.

As I mentioned, this is just the beginning. The sky and the ocean floor are literally the limits on what can be done. What is essential is that whatever is done, it is done with respect, love, and in the spirit of the deceased. Also, please remember that sometimes when people scatter cremated remains on a scenic lake, that spot is turned into a shopping mall, or the exact spot is forgotten. Many of us have a need to return to a specific place to visit and remember our loved ones.