Losing a loved one is never an easy experience, to say the least. During our lives, we develop various kinds of relationships, all of which are important, valuable, and impactful in all kinds of ways. Then suddenly comes death and it separates us from the people we love in the physical world. However, death does not signify the end of a relationship. The bond that we build with others is something that stays with us throughout our lives, no matter how much time we get to physically spend with them. What matters more is the quality of the bond that you build and knowing that the end of physical embodiment does not end the love that you share.
A relationship signifies a deep tie with someone else, one that is bound by love, respect, care, and a deep interest in knowing one another profoundly. It is a connection or a link that is unbreakable by anything material. When a family member or friend or any other person you may love passes away, your relationship endures. You continue to be their friend, their daughter, their brother, or whatever relationship you may have had. A relationship, rather than an abstract idea, requires action and intentionality. Even when they pass, you maintain the role of brother, sister, friend, daughter, etc. You continue to honor and respect and love them despite them being gone. You hold onto their things in order to feel close to them still. You honor their memory and keep the relationship alive by reminiscing about them, looking at old photos of them, and continuing their legacy, whatever that may be. Most importantly, as long as love abounds, you will always be able to hold on to that relationship.
Losing someone comes with a whole host of emotions that cannot be minimized to any sort of list. However, we should always remember that, at the end of the day, the reason we feel so strongly and are so affected by their absence is because the love we have for them is deep and pure. To love others so profoundly, to be so lucky to have someone to love is a true gift. It’s what makes every day a treasure. While we cannot ignore the fact that your relationship changes in an irrevocable way, what’s important is that you learn to renegotiate your way of loving the person that has now passed in whatever feels right for that relationship. Would they have wanted you to continue any moral legacy for them? Would they just want you to be happy? Honor and keep all your cherished relationships. Value the ones you have right in front of you and hold on to the others in your heart even when they are not with you physically and you are bound to have a life overflowing with love.
