A loved one can take many forms, whether it’s a grandparent, parent, sibling, friend, or even a pet. Our loved ones are very special people to us and they represent so much in our lives. They fill such important spaces in our hearts and when they’re gone, they leave an empty space that can never really be filled. This is a hard topic to think about or even write about during such tumultuous times. However, from personal experience, I wanted to lend a hand out to those who are currently struggling or have been struggling for a while.
In my opinion, professionals try to dissect everything and make sense of all your feelings toward losing a loved one. The truth is there’s no one way around it. We all grieve in different ways, for different lengths of time and some days are harder than others. People who have lost a loved one also understand the struggle; it can be hard to go through our day to day lives. I believe that those who have felt this pain and understand it are some of the strongest and most resilient people. Whether you choose to believe it or not, they’re still with us every step of the way — in our hearts forever, as you’ve probably been told. Maybe your special loved one was young and your motivation is to live your life for them, or maybe they were older and you are inspired by the life they lived.
For me, it was my older brother.
I could sit here and get more into the hardships and struggles of losing him, but I want to finish this off in a more uplifting way. As much as it would be less painful to forget, remembering them, the memories you shared, the laughs, the hugs, and precious moments are what keep them alive in our hearts. My brother was witty and loved to make people laugh. He also had a passion for sports and memorized every NFL team and city by the time he was 3 years old. One time he went outside in our front yard to play baseball alone, he came back in, very mad. When my parents asked him what’s wrong, he simply replied, “I lost.”
Those are the memories that I keep with me. For the people who still struggle with the pain or still feel angry at the world, remember what our loved ones taught us. Live for them and constantly keep them in your hearts and minds, remember to live the way they did. Just remember that no matter how hard it is to talk about, there is a community out there who understands and will listen.
Time may heal all wounds, but not necessarily this one, and that’s okay. It can only make your heart stronger. When it hurts the most, or when you’re having a rough day, just remember a memory that made you laugh so hard until you cried or smiled as big as the moon. You can only heal at your own pace and most importantly, always remember the life that they lived.