Losing someone you love is a painful experience. But grieving and mourning require time. For some, this can take years, but as you come to terms with the loss of your loved one, it is vital to honor the memory of the person who has died. This article will cover some things you can do that will allow you to honor their memory and come to terms with your loss.
Create A Memorial
When you lose someone close to you, it is important to create a memorial for them. It will help you remember them, and it can also be a way of honoring the person’s life. There are many reasons why people create memorials for their loved ones. However, they provide an opportunity to reflect on the life of the deceased and their impact on your life. Memorials could be something as simple as a photo collage to create a mausoleum design that represents who they were as a person. It is up to you how you go about this process as each case is intimately individual, and what might be respectful to one person might not be for another.
Create A Cremation Diamond From Their Ashes
Creating a diamond from ashes is something that splits most people in half. Some consider it overly gaudy, while others think it is a perfect way to turn the deceased into a precious gem, just as precious as they were to you. If you fall into the latter category, there are plenty of services that offer you the chance to turn ashes into something that you can keep with you always to remember them. You can keep the diamond by itself or insert it into a ring or pendant.
Engage In An Activity They Enjoy Or That You Did Together
Was there anything in particular that your loved one enjoyed doing? Perhaps a friend enjoyed throwing baseballs in the park, or your mother enjoyed preparing cookies during the holidays. These encounters don’t have to cease just because an individual is no longer physically there. Instead, you can continue on and keep doing what they love doing. Additionally, it is a great way to learn more about the person in question if you have never participated in the activity with them.
Donate In Their Name
What better way to show your love than to donate in their name. This can take many guises, from sending a monetary donation to the charity they always believed in to more intricate options. For example, if they were an avid traveler to countries less well off, you could set up a fundraiser to build a school or hospital and dedicate it to their memory. Through their death, they continue to help others.
Create A Cherished Keepsake
A cherished keepsake is something that people hold onto and value. It might be a sentimental item, an heirloom, or even something passed down over generations. A treasured keepsake can be anything from a piece of jewelry to a piece of artwork, a family photo album to an old-fashioned doll. Whatever it is, it’s personal and unique to the person who owned it. If your deceased loved one already owned something close to their heart, you could use that. Conversely, you could create something they valued when they were physically present. For example, if they were an avid collector of something, you could collate their collection and use that as a keepsake to pass down to younger generations.
Keep A Tradition Alive
The traditional way of honoring a loved one is to keep their traditions alive. It is important that you keep the traditions of a loved one alive by respecting their wishes and continuing their legacy after they are gone. Your family could have a specific holiday custom that you do every year and continuing it after someone has passed is a great way to have them around, if only in spirit.
Frame A Poem Or Piece Of Art They’ve Produced
If your family member or friend was particularly artistic and creative, you might find something interesting when going through their items. If so, you can pick out the things that you believe meant most to them and have them framed so that you will remember their creativity every time you look at them.
Complete What They Didn’t
Life is full of unfulfilled dreams, and it is often in death that you realize how short time is on this planetary plane. Most people go through life starting a range of projects only to push their completion down the line until it’s too late. Therefore, if you know of a project that your loved one began that was important to them, you can honor their memory by seeing it through to completion. You can allow their spirit to complete the task vicariously through you and leave a legacy worthy of their memory.
Plant A Tree In A Prominent Location
Planting a tree is a longstanding tradition that people use to memorialize those who are no longer here. Trees are living organisms, and they have the ability to grow, adapt and survive in any condition. They also offer a sense of peace and serenity to their surroundings. By planting a tree in the right location and nurturing another living thing, you will have something that will last for centuries. While future generations may only have distant memories of the person who died, a tree will be a legacy of love that stands the test of time.
Write Them A Letter Containing Everything You Wanted To Tell Them
Life is a funny thing. You can’t taste the sweetness until you taste the bitterness. In life, there are so many times that you have something you want to tell your loved ones but never get around to it until it is too late. Nevertheless, you can still speak with the spirit of the deceased by writing down your thoughts and narrating them into the ether. You can say everything you have always wanted to but were never able to. In many ways, this final point is more geared towards you rather than honoring the dead, as it is a form of catharsis that can help you come to terms with what has occurred.
Lost loved ones live on in the heart. What deepens the sorrow is knowing that your memories are incomplete. The funerals, memorials, and gatherings that honor our loved ones help you to extend your mourning. Hopefully, you can use the ideas in this post to honor those who have passed away.
Photo via Unsplash
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