I Asked ‘What’s Inside an Urn?’ — And Got a Faceful of Dust

Why handling remains isn’t all that bad

Most people are averse to touching human remains. But cremains are harmless, and can teach us a lot about grief. (Getty Images)

I opened my mom’s urn and got a lungful of cremains. For years I was ashamed of this moment — until I discovered that curiosity about remains is not only normal, but healthy.

Like a twisted version of leaving a wedding with a keepsake centerpiece, I left mom’s funeral with…