Handling loss is a hard path to navigate and it’s likely true that the reality of death is a lot more difficult to manage on the living than it is on the dead. When you lose someone, it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that you’ll never get to see that person alive again. No more cuddles or kisses and no more get-togethers to celebrate life.
Everyone’s grief process is different and how long it takes the navigate the grief is again, an individual path to take. With that being said, how you remember that person is up to you. There are plenty of ways to help remember someone who is lost but not forgotten. With that being said, here are ten ways to remember a loved one that’s passed.
Story Stages
1. Plant a tree or flowers in their name.
Planting a tree or flowers in their name seems very poignant and representative of the circle of life. While that person is no longer on this earth, the world continues to spin. Babies continue to be born and nature continues to grow and thrive.
Whether it’s a tree in your local park or some flowers in your back garden, it’s a small but meaningful touch to pay tribute to a loved one. They may have had a favorite type of tree or flower that you want to plant, or perhaps there’s a particular one that makes you think of them.
Whatever it may be, it’s a physical object that you can come and visit to have a moment with your loved one. Make sure if it’s flowers, that you’ll be able to easily manage its upkeep all year round so that they stay beautiful and healthy.
2. Release lanterns or fireworks on the anniversary.
While balloons may be a little more harmful to the environment, lanterns may be a good option if chosen in the right location. If you’re not keen on releasing lanterns though, you may find that a spectacle like fireworks on their anniversary is fitting.
It can be a great option for those who want to gather together with friends and family once a year to celebrate the person they lost. Whether that’s the anniversary of their death or on their birthday. However, you want to pay tribute is your decision to make. Fireworks are a little costly but you don’t need to be doing a whole fireworks display.
You may just want to let off one big firework or an assortment of smaller ones. It’s moreso the act of doing this that provides more meaning.
3. Donate some money to their favorite charity.
Did the person have a favorite charity or cause that they would often raise money for? Depending on how they passed, it may be a charity or place that looked after that person in the last few days of their life.
Sometimes giving back to those less fortunate is a great way to celebrate the person you have lost. We all want to make an impression on the world, however great or small that may be.
When you lose someone, it feels like the world needs to stop spinning and existing. The harsh reality is that this doesn’t happen. Instead, you’re forced to move forward when at times you don’t feel like moving at all.
A part of grieving and moving forward with your own life is doing something like this. It’s a way to remember them and to help ensure an extra mark or two has been left in their name. Even if it’s a small amount in donations, it all helps the cause.
4. Cremate their ashes into a piece of jewelry.
Depending on the person’s wishes, they may have chosen to be buried or cremated. If they had chosen to be cremated, you may wish to do something with those remains. Some choose to put it into an urn that they can display in the home.
For others, it might be important to spread the ashes in a special spot or to bury it somewhere that’s meaningful. Another nice way to help remember them is by putting their ashes into a piece of jewelry.
This could be in a bracelet, a pair of earrings, or perhaps these urn necklaces. A piece of jewelry is something that you may like to wear regularly or even every day. In a way, it’s a reminder of them and a way to keep them close to you at all times. You may not want to wear the jewelry and simply keep it in a special jewelry box.
5. Choose a special place to remember them.
Remembering a loved one is hard, especially during the early days of their loss. It can often feel like you’re simply existing and that life doesn’t feel the same way it did before. That’s very common with grief and as humans, it takes time to adjust to this new existence of life.
It might be helpful to choose a special place to go and remember them. Of course, it’s easier if it’s a place where they’re buried or where you may have scattered their ashes. However, there are likely plenty of places that you visited and that the person in question enjoyed visiting while they were arriving.
Going back to these places might be helpful for the grieving process.
6. Speak to them regularly in your head or out loud.
There will be times when you have the overwhelming urge to speak to your loved one who is no longer here. If that’s the case – speak to them. Whether you talk them in your head, or out loud, it can be therapeutic to have these discussions even if they’re one-sided and feel a little silly at first.
It’s a great way of coping with loss and can really help to provide a bit of comfort in those times when it may feel quite lonely. It’s particularly effective when they played such a big part in your life and now they’re no longer there.
7. Create a memory box.
To help with a loved one’s passing, you may have been given some personal belongings from the loved one. This may have been prior to them in their last moments and may hold significance to you.
If that’s the case, then it’s important to find somewhere to put all of these trinkets or items of special meaning. You may not want to keep them out and instead, have them stored somewhere that you can get out every so often.
A memory box is a great way to help reconnect with that loved one and is a great way of keeping everything together. It’s a box that you can pick and choose when to get out, rather than it sitting out in view all the time.
8. Get a tattoo to honor them.
Tattoos are a great way to honor your loved ones but they’re not for everyone. While there are some that may want to get it because it feels like the right thing to do, it should be something you consider carefully.
There may be other ways that are more suited to what you think is more meaningful. However, for some, tattoos are a form of expression and can help to be a reminder of the journey you’ve traveled. With a tattoo, it’s a tribute to their name and to honor who they were.
It could be a name, their face, or a special sign, symbol, or object that represents them and who they were.
9. Do acts of kindness in their name.
A fantastic tribute to your loved one is through acts of kindness. Acts of kindness are great because they help to put a smile on someone’s face that may be a complete stranger. We don’t do enough for the people we don’t know.
It’s the small things that also often make the biggest difference. Doing these little acts of kindness can help a great deal and it’s something that you should definitely do.
So if you’re going to do something like buying a person a coffee, giving food to a homeless shelter, or carrying someone’s shopping for them across the road, do so with your loved one in mind. It’s a lovely and touching way to help pass that love and remembrance on to others.
10. Start a blog or online page to remember them.
Finally, depending on the type of loss that occurred, you might want to start a blog or an online page to remember them. Some people don’t die of natural causes and instead by dying from cancers or other diseases. They may have died at the hands of someone else, which is probably one of the most upsetting of losses.
A blog or page online is a good way to connect with people who are going through something similar and may be able to find comfort in your words. If they reach out, just remember you can always use the best advice for responding to a condolence message, because sometimes it’s hard to know how to respond with thanks.
Remembering your loved one is a tough one but with these tips, hopefully, you can find peace and ways to connect with them again on another level.
