After Cremation : A Gentle Guide for the Family’s Next Step. 

I. San Diego Hills Memorial Park. 

     When a loved one has expressed the wish to be cremated — and that wish is honored — families are often left with a quiet and deeply human question:

II. What should we do next?

     This is not a practical question alone. It is a spiritual, emotional, and generational one.

     At San Diego Hills Memorial Park, we walk alongside families at this moment — not to rush decisions, but to help them make a choice that brings peace today and meaning for the future.

III. Honoring the Wish, While Caring for Those Who Remain. 

     Cremation is an expression of respect for the loved one’s request.

     What follows is an expression of love for the family who continues the journey.

     Whether cremation was clearly requested, or chosen by the family with care and prayer, many families find themselves unsure how the ashes should be laid to rest — and understandably so.

     San Diego Hills exists to gently guide families through this next step.

IV. Why Many Families Choose Ground Burial of Ashes. 

     While columbariums serve a purpose, many families today are rediscovering the meaning of burying ashes beneath the ground within a memorial park — for reasons that reach beyond the present moment.

1. A Place for Generations to Return. 

     A memorial park is not only for today’s grief, but for tomorrow’s remembrance.

     Children, grandchildren, and future generations will have a peaceful place to visit — to walk, reflect, pray, and remember.

2. A Living, Open Sanctuary

     Surrounded by trees, sky, and quiet pathways, a memorial park offers a sense of rest and openness — a place where memory breathes and peace settles gently.

3. Dignity, Permanence, and Rest. 

     Ground burial provides a clear sense of final rest — a place that is rooted, dignified, and enduring across time.

4. A Space for Personal Ritual and Healing. 

     Families often find it easier to return on anniversaries, birthdays, or moments of reflection in an open, natural environment — where grief can slowly become gratitude.

5. Honoring the Departed While Caring for the Living. 

     Cremation honors the loved one’s wish.

Choosing a meaningful resting place honors the emotional and spiritual needs of those who remain — now and in the decades to come.

V. Our Role: To Walk With You, Not Rush You. 

     At San Diego Hills Memorial Park, we do not believe this decision should be made hastily or alone.

Our role is to:

• Listen with compassion. 

• Explain options with clarity and honesty. 

• Respect every family’s beliefs, traditions, and timing. 

• Help families choose a resting place that feels right, not merely convenient. 

"There is no single “correct” answer — only the choice that best serves love, remembrance, and peace"

VI. A Place of Rest. A Place of Return. A Place of Meaning.

     When the time comes to decide what follows cremation, San Diego Hills is here — not merely as a memorial park, but as a trusted guide during one of life’s most sacred transitions.

     Because remembrance is not only about how we say goodbye — but about how we continue to remember.