When we lose anyone in life, whether it’s a work colleague, family member, or friend, it reminds us just how valuable life is and how none of us will ever really know how much time we have left on this earth. The ones who are left behind have to deal with the loss of losing a loved one, and that can be difficult to go through. The grieving process and simply knowing you’ll never see them again can be very challenging. So being able to remember your loved ones in some way, shape, or form can be a comfort. Here are some ways to remember your loved ones and to help you come to terms with your loss in meaningful ways.
Turn Their Favourite Piece Of Clothing Into Something
Sorting through any of their old clothes can often be difficult, and usually, unless you wanted to hold onto something significant, you’d like to find a goodwill shop to hand them over to or sell them if needed. However, if you know that there are some items of clothing that are significant to that person you’ve lost or that was perhaps a favorite of theirs or yours, you can always look at re-using that item of clothing or several depending on what’s available. In the past, many have made blankets or throws out of old clothing that they didn’t want to get rid of and wanted to make into something else. It’s better than it being taken away from you or having to sit in a cupboard for years collecting dust and only being seen every so often. You could also make cushions using the materials or get creative with different accessories for the home or for you. It’s a great way to re-use the clothing but to also make something meaningful.
Display Photographs Around Your Home
Memories will last for so long before we forget them. Unless they’re really significant, memories can go a little fuzzy, but photographs are the ones that last. If you’ve got photographs of your loved one, then why not display them around your home? Nowadays, you’ll likely have your photos on your phone or online and although they’re easily accessible, they’re not always viewable like they would be around your property. Try to find places where you can put your photographs so that you have a visual picture of them that you can look at every so often in order to remind yourself of a specific memory or moment that you captured. Photos are a great way to add life and personality to your home, and you can pop them in frames, on canvases, and even create collages from them to fill up wall space.
Look Into Jewelry
Jewelry is something that can often be worn to remember a person. It might have been something that person had of theirs that they loved. It’s a great way to have something close to you and to your heart that you look at and can celebrate wearing every day. There are also types of jewelry that you can create from the ashes of the loved one. Jewelry for cremation ashes can be a great way of having something meaningful to remember that person by, especially if you’re someone who loves wearing jewelry anyway. There are necklaces that you can, earrings and even bracelets depending on what you tend to wear most often. Think about what different jewelry options are available and whether it’s something you’d like or perhaps another person you know would like who also knew your loved one. It can be a great gift to give to those who were really close to the person.
Dedicate A Local Memorial Bench
With a lot of loved ones, there are sometimes spots that are accessible to remember people by, but then you might not have any specific place to remember them by. That can be hard because a local park or place that you or they might have regularly gone to can make it a way of feeling connected to them in the afterlife. One way of paying tribute to your loved one is by dedicating a local memorial bench in their name. It can be a spot where you can visit regularly and know that you can always walk past or sit down on and think about them. Dealing with grief is a unique experience for everyone as we all handle it differently, so perhaps having something physical that you can visit and reflect on will be useful.
Name A Star In Their Name
It’s something that has become very popular in recent years, and that’s naming a star after someone. This is usually given to someone as a gift, perhaps to a friend or family member for their birthday, but naming a star can really be a good way of celebrating that loved one. It can be your contribution in making sure that that person has an imprint of their existence in the world, and it can be a touching tribute that you can also share with others who want to remember that person as well. There are lots of different services and companies out there that provide this, so do a little research into which ones are going to be the best. Alternatively, there is a land-buying service that is similar.
Visit Their Favourite Spots
We all have familiar spots that we like going to or specific places in the world, right? Those places can become a remembrance for others that are left behind when someone passes. It can provide comfort, just like a memorial bench does because it feels like a piece of them is there in some way. Visiting their favourite spots can be a great way of remembering someone and enjoying a space that they also enjoyed. Where did they like to go to? Perhaps it’s worth making a list so that you can jot down the places that seem relevant and that you could visit so that you can have that connection with your loved one again.
Talk About The Good Times
When someone passes, we think about all the things they’re going to miss out on or the fact that no more memories are going to be made with them from now on. However, instead of reflecting on that, it’s more important to remember all the times you had with them that contributed to your life experience and moments in life that you loved the most. Those moments and memories are something you can fondly look back on, and they’re going to bring you so much joy as a result. Try to focus on the good times rather than focusing on the realisation that you’re not going to be able to do anything further with them in the future.
Look Through Their Personal Belongings
Personal belongings are something that you’re going to hold onto and perhaps spread across various family members and friends, depending on how you knew them. If you were close to them, then it’s good to try and hold onto some personal belongings, and these don’t have to have any particular value to them. They could be sentimental items that evoke some kind of memory or emotion. Their belongings are the things they’ve left behind and therefore have some form of them in them. It can be good for the healing process to go through their belongings.
Have An Annual Day To Celebrate Them
There are significant dates, like their birthday or the day they passed that can become days of celebration and joy, rather than them being tinged with sadness. Of course, having another birthday or having to remember the day they passed can be difficult, but it’s also an opportunity to meet with friends or family members and to have a day of celebration in their honour. You could go out for a meal or perhaps have a party where you can do things that the person who has passed, loved to do or eat or drink. Whatever you can do to have a celebration of their life, it’s something that can be a great way to help heal and lessen the pain to a degree. Discuss it with family and friends to see when would be the most appropriate day and make it an annual thing for everyone involved.
Remembering your loved ones is important because life passes by in a moment, and it’s good to heal from a loss and embrace that grief head-on. These tips will hopefully make it easier for you to find comfort and to help remember them in the best ways possible. So whether you’re looking at celebrating them on an annual day or displaying photos of them around the home, do what gives you comfort and makes you feel happy. It’s all useful to help with grief and with having lost someone. The ones who are left behind have to deal with that grief, and if you can find ways to cope with it, then why not do it?
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