It is devastating to lose a loved one, heart-wrenching even.  Seems like the pain will never go away, that void will never be filled and you’ll never be able to find happiness without them.  Those of you that have suffered a loss know the feeling all too well.

We’re here to remind you that there is a horizon beyond that sea of despair.  It may not seem like it for a long time, but it’s there, we promise.  The way we recognize this fact is by examining ourselves in the midst of any loss.  How do we do such a thing?  Read on.

Holding onto Memories of our Loved Ones

Our memories serve as the living “rewind button” you tap into to experience previous thoughts and events.  There’s plenty of times people use this to pull up bad things while reveling in misery and sorrow of lost loved ones.  You can also be excited that the same muscle can replay the great things you’ve experienced.  You may notice the quote above by Cassandra Clare.  It explains beautifully the theory of never fully losing your loved ones.  When someone loves us and the feeling is reciprocal, they’re ingrained in us and our memories.  That love changes who we are and imprints on our hearts.  It’s difficult to change even if we try.

What Does Love Have to do With it?

Love, pretty much, has everything to do with it.  It enhances our relationships and changes our deepest emotions.  After losing someone you love deeply it’s difficult to imagine loving that way again.  As the healing begins, that love appears in memories instead of the thoughts of complete loss and devastation.  The memory of that unique love is what will put people back together.  That person in many ways is now a part of you, therefore a big part of your healing, and thus not lost at all.  When you choose to love again, that loved one is now a small part of everything you do.  Their love is now living because of those beautiful memories.

We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.

~Cassandra Clare

“Death always feels far away from life, until it isn’t.”

~Corey Ann Haydu