The last thing I did for my mother was illegal
An urn cost more than my rent. So I scattered my mother’s ashes at Yosemite from a Ziploc bag, without the federal permit I couldn’t afford to wait for
TL;DR
- The author's mother died at 44 from glioblastoma.
- Traditional funerals and cremations in the US are prohibitively expensive.
- The author illegally scattered her mother's ashes in Yosemite National Park due to cost constraints.
- The death care industry has shifted from family tradition to a commercialized business model with increasing prices.
- Consolidation of funeral homes by large conglomerates contributes to higher costs.
- Many families are now improvising and seeking less institutionalized ways to handle death.
- Filipino traditions involve regular family gatherings at cemeteries.
- The author's friend chose natural organic reduction (composting) as a more affordable and personal option.
- The author reflects on her mother's desire to connect with her Hawaiian heritage and the symbolism of scattering ashes by a new tree.