Have you heard of the AI (artificial intelligence) takeover?

In recent years, whispers of AI - and its immeasurable potential - have been steadily becoming louder. As of 2023, AI has seemingly taken over the Internet and indeed the whole world. It's generally considered be a good technological innovation; AI can reduce workloads, promote efficiency in business, and perform tasks with lightning speed, often for little to no investment, or even error. It can be used for fun, too, just check out all the new apps that have come out this year utilizing it. However, there are some downsides to the takeover of AI.

As a eulogy writer, one of the most glaring downsides is this: the lack of real human connection. In a time of mourning, over the loss of someone you deeply loved, the human touch is still desperately needed. AI is not sentient in this way (not yet, anyway), and a robot can't really understand what you are feeling.

I do appreciate how accessible AI is, to everyone. It's no secret that AI can literally write a one-of-a-kind speech for you, using just a few prompts. That includes a eulogy. There's no denying that this can be a wonderful thing for so many people, and if you are one of them, more power to you! I believe that every loved one deserves a quality eulogy, and I love to see it happen, even if it's with help from AI. As I continue to learn more about this application and the many positive ways it can be utilized, also know that I am still here for you with any questions you may have concerning your speech.

Keeping that in mind, I do want to assure you that Eulogies by Aubrey has never, and will never, use AI in this way. Every single eulogy order I receive is responded to and written by my own hand, using the beautiful thoughts you provide through my online eulogy order form (found here). And every single email or message you send to me, is thoughtfully responded by myself as quickly as possible. I may never be as quick or expedient as a robot, but I promise you, my heart is real : )

Do you have any further thoughts regarding AI? In what ways has it changed or improved the way you live, work, and play? Leave your thoughts in a comment below.

-Aubrey

Let's make something crystal clear: Eulogies by Aubrey is inclusive to families of all beliefs and walks of life. This includes the LGBTQ+ community.

It is never my job to judge people, or their loved ones, especially during times of grief. It my job to love others, and to serve those who place their trust in me and my business with the utmost dignity and respect. If you are LGBTQ+, including non-binary or transgender, or if the loved one whom you are grieving was, you are safe to be honest and open here. I promise.

Considering this, I have updated the questionnaire on my Order Page to reflect the need for pronouns, as opposed to requesting gender (which I did in order to get a loved one's pronouns right anyway, while writing). Please feel free to comment below with any other ideas you have for improving my site to make it more welcoming for all.

Love, Aubrey 🏳️‍🌈

Eulogies by Aubrey has been featured in HuffPost! Check out the article below (you'll especially enjoy it if you are a fan of HBO's "Succession"...)

How to Write a Good Eulogy for a Funeral

Thank you to reporter Caroline Bologna for this awesome opportunity : )

-Aubrey

It's a fact of life that our pets pass away. Almost all of us have unforgettable memories of that special dog or cat or pony or fish-in-particular, that still resides in our childhoods, even if not in our current lives.

I have been blessed with several fur friends and babies throughout my life. My family had several cats and dogs and fish throughout my childhood and teenage years. Even a couple horses and a potbelly pig at one point! But there are those few that really stand out in my memories, and made an indention, if you will, on my young heart:

-There was Kimberly, my first pet goldfish, whom I named after the Pink Ranger
-There was Tuff, my first puppy, an Australian Shepherd that I got on my 7th birthday
-There was Alexandria, my bunny, who lived in my room first, and then outside
-There was Spongebob, my beautiful oranda goldfish, who lived a very long time for an oranda goldfish
-There was Gracie Lou, who came into my life at age 12
(-And there is Sue Ellen, our sweet and cuddly family cat we have now! She was my granddad's first.)
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Then, of course, there was all their inevitable ends:
-I'm not sure what happened to goldfish Kimberly, I think my Mom told me she went to live at the vet's one day. (As far as I know, she is still there!)
-Tuff was sadly run over by a neighbor's truck (his hobby was chasing moving tire wheels).
-Alexandria was adopted into a family that had more bunnies to keep her better company.
-Spongebob lived a long and happy life. I cleaned his tank one day, and the next day, he was afloat.
-Gracie Lou was with me for 19 years. You can read her story here.
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My black and white angel Gracie...in particular, I don't think I will ever get over her loss. It often doesn't seem like she is really gone. I can still hear her uniquely loud purr, and her super girly, high-pitched meow.
When we moved to our new home last year, we had to leave her behind in our old backyard, where she was buried. I talked to my sister Cassie about my feelings surrounding the fact that we'd have to leave her there...
And then Cassie came up with an amazing idea. Sort of like an urn, she suggested getting a container and filling it with dirt from her grave. So that's just what I did. I bought a clear glass container with a latch lid at Wal-Mart, gently grazed some dirt from the top of her grave before we moved (and also added in some flower petals from the vine growing above her). This precious dirt came with us to our new home. I added a label to the side of the glass, and set it next to her picture:

I know many people live in apartments or rent homes and do not have the luxury of doing what I got to. But if you are ever in the situation in which you must leave a piece of your heart behind, like I did, I hope you find comfort in remembering my sister's wonderful idea. Having that dirt, as simple and lowly as it is, has brought me so much comfort.

Have you experienced the loss of a pet? How did you memorialize them?

-Aubrey

 I will never forget the first time LMP captured my attention. I was a teenager (it was probably around 2004ish). We had received a magazine in the mail advertising rock memorabilia, Elvis included. I had been a fan of Elvis growing up; my family listened to his music through the years (not to mention I had a Granny who loved him more than any of us!) I had heard of his daughter Lisa Marie, but she had never really been more than a passing thought, if I'm being honest.

Inside this memorabilia magazine, in between the pages trying to get you to mail-order a "golden" record of an album from the good ol' days, or a life-size photo blanket of your favorite music icon, long passed away, was an small insert. On this insert was a black-and-white photo of one of the most beautiful - if not the most beautiful! - women I have ever seen. I will never forget it; it was a photo of LMP, looking sideways at the camera, with the words, "Lisa Marie Presley/To Whom It May Concern."

While I cannot add the image to my blog, you can search "Lisa Marie Presley To Whom It May Concern" and find the exact photo I am talking about. Still gives me shivers!

In reality, the insert I had seen was nothing more than an advertisement for Lisa's new album, her debut album, which showcased her own songs sung with her own smoky voice, in a distinct way that finally separated her, so to speak, from her very famous father, Elvis Presley. Her style was different and she moved differently, but even so, in her eyes and in the curl of her lip when she sang, you could see how she favored her dad in many ways. Over the years, she sang a few moving "duets" with Elvis...see one of my favorites below.

When Elvis tragically passed away in 1977, Lisa was only 9 years old, and she found herself suddenly thrust into the world's spotlight, with the burden of Elvis's legacy, including his estate at Graceland, on her young shoulders. As a teenager, she turned to drugs, and even as an adult, she struggled. She was married several times in her life, most notably to pop superstar Michael Jackson, and was the mother of four children. In 2020, her son Benjamin took his life, and her heart was shattered. He was buried at Graceland, where Elvis and other members of the Presley family are interred. And when Lisa Marie died on January 12th of this year, she was buried next to her beloved son.

LMP had so much left to give to the music world and to her fans. But I think she knew deep down, especially after her son died, that her time was not far away. I will always remember her, her stunning voice, and her beautiful soul.

--Aubrey

To my valued clients,

Good news! I have gotten a few inquiries lately concerning obituaries, as well as general reviews+edits for a eulogy that has already been written. The main questions being: does Eulogies by Aubrey also offer obituary writing services? Are you able to review or provide edits to a eulogy that has already been written? If so, what are the fees?

First, the answer to these questions is a confident YES. Please see below for a bit more explanation concerning the fees.

I have updated my FAQ page to reflect this, but here is the basic run-down:

• For a standalone written obit, the fee is $75.
• For a general review/edit of a eulogy already written, the fee is $125.
• As always, upon request, I offer a complimentary obituary for each eulogy order.
• I am only able to provide the written side of an obit service. Contacting the desired newspaper or website is not included with this service.

For the sake of comparison, my standard fee for a complete written eulogy order remains at $215.

I hope this clears things up a little bit : ) Please let me know if I can explain things further, or be of further assistance.

--Aubrey

 Christmastime is upon us once again. No matter who you are or how you celebrate, everywhere we look, we are faced head-on with all things merry and bright. The month-long noise of jingle bells, shopping, parties, kids, school, work, family, friends, etc. are poured onto plates that are most likely already overfilled. When grief is added to the mix, the holidays become even more of a complex maze to find our way through. Christmas can feel more like a deadline than a happy, joyful event. Anxiety can loom overhead like a dull, gray cloud, covering any rays of light that you are desperately hoping to glimpse.

This holiday season, know that you are not alone. It sounds cliche, and maybe it is, but it is also true. Grief is heavy, and many of us have to carry it alone. Individually, on our own beautiful grief journeys, alone but together nonetheless.

Here is a mental exercise you can do, that I pray helps you find your ray of light.

When I had my second baby, my postpartum season was especially difficult. I often felt alone in my thoughts and struggles. One say, I saw a post that helped me feel just a little better. It was an illustration someone had made showing a new mom through a window. It was the middle of the night, and she was awake with her sleepless baby, walking around the nursery and trying her best to lull the crying baby back to sleep. I immediately felt for this painted mother, with the exhausted look on her face, as I was exhausted as well...but then something amazing happened. Something simple, yet so amazing, and something that I have always kept close in mind.

The illustration panned out slowly, pulling back from that nursery window to show the wider street, to show the neighborhood, to show the city, to show the continent, to show the world. Mothers and fathers in windows everywhere started popping up suddenly, throughout the night, in their own nursery windows. With sleepless babes, struggling individually, but somehow still going through it together. Somehow closer together than any of them imagined. It gave me a sense of peace, knowing that another mom somewhere (and probably not too far away at all) was also awake in that moment with me, exhausted too, and also struggling to cope with it all.

This holiday season, no matter what struggles you are going through, when it just becomes too much...try this exercise. Close your eyes and picture yourself looking out your own window, surrounded by the colors of your own thoughts and memories. Then slowly pan your vision out away from your window, and scan it down the street. Slowly scan it throughout your town, throughout your region, your country. Scan it across the whole earth. Peer into the windows you pass. See all the others just like you, looking out their windows, surrounded by the colors of their own thoughts and memories. And send them a loving thought, a similar vibe, a prayer of love and understanding, whichever you prefer...and imagine them doing the same for you.

I am certainly sending prayers and warm thoughts to you and yours this holiday season. To all my clients past, present, and future, and to anyone struggling this year, I see you. And you are not alone. May you find peace in the chaos this Christmas season, and may your New Year be filled with renewed hope.

--Aubrey

-Aubrey

-Aubrey

The myriad of emotions that accompany the loss of a loved one are not lost on me. So much time and energy-draining work goes into planning a funeral or memorial service.

When you are tasked with giving the all-important eulogy while yet mourning your loss, on top of everything else, reliving memories and searching for the right words to say may be the last thing you want to do.
The nature of grief is a strange thing, and when it is all said and done, you may be shocked at just how utterly exhausted you are. And yet, you still want to do right by your loved one and family, and deliver the very best eulogy you can.

That is why I started Eulogies by Aubrey. I have discovered that my passion and expertise is ultimately in serving others within funeral service, and specifically through the written word.

Contact me today to learn more about how I may help you, or click here to begin your custom eulogy order.

-Aubrey