7 Ways to Keep the Memories of Your Loved Ones Alive
Nothing is eternal in this world. When a loved one passes away, the pain of loss can be really overwhelming. It’s true your loved one will have a permanent place in your heart, but initially, summoning the happy times might seem to be a challenge.
Here are 7 ways to keep the memories of your loved ones alive forever.
1. Create a memory book
We all love scrapbooks, don’t we? When I was a kid, I used to run around the school with my scrapbook in my hand and it is still very precious to me.
The reason is simple, nothing can beat the feeling of a physical book. There is something intimate about it that makes us stick around.
You can relive the memories of your loved one too by creating a beautiful memory book. Post their photos, write about them, so that they can live in your eyes forever. Here are some ideas to make a memory book.
2. Raise a Tree or a Garden
A tree or a plant that will grow and thrive for many years can be an excellent living monument to keep the presence of your loved one while he/she is gone forever. Make sure you put the memorial board on the ground and not on the tree. It must not hamper the tree’s growth.
Planting an entire garden is an even better idea. For example, a garden planted in a schoolyard can be used to teach the children the origin of fruits or vegetables. You can even plant a garden in your own yard and donate the food to a local food pantry.
3. Create an online memorial
In the present world of digital dominance, it is just logical to create an online memorial for your special one who has passed away. Their memories are priceless. Preserving a hard copy of their photos or special notes can be quite risky. By storing them online, you can rest assured that the memories of your special one will be alive forever.
Some online memorials provide you with a safe and private space where you can make announcements and mark the special occasions in the life of your lost one. You can customize this space and share it with others on your own terms.
4. Help the homeless or those in need
You can initiate an annual dinner dedicated to your lost loved one. Make it an annual ritual. Gather some of your friends and family on a special day and feed the less fortunate and the homeless. On special occasions like Christmas and Thanksgiving, the people alone would really appreciate a good home-cooked meal.
Even if you do not have a sufficiently large space in your home to accommodate many, you can contact local churches and other organizations. They may allow you and your family to organize a dinner for the ones who are alone during the festival.
5. Personal Memorials
A personal memorial exclusively for the family can be in the form of a scrap-book which includes several photos of your loved one. Such a book can be passed on from one member of the family to another.
You can also create a video featuring a number of still photos and short clips of the one who has painfully left you. The video can be uploaded to the cloud where it will last forever. Even the ones born long after the person is passed can view the video.
6. Create a memory box
When you lose someone, their memories are the only thing that can help you keep going. From passing through the five stages of grieving, the only thing you can hold on to are the happy memories you have created with them.
Creating a memory box is a great way to honor those memories. And you can call me old-school, but my memory box is one of the most dearest things to me.
So if you have recently lost someone very dear to you, you can try creating a memory box. Put things that represent your loved one, this will help you deal with grief and their memories will always be with you.
7. Set up a foundation
If your loved one was a victim of an unusual illness or event, you can set up a foundation in their name. Though the non-profit organizations have certain norms, they often aid several people suffering from a similar illness that took away your loved one’s life.
Such families will really value your support as you too have gone through the same situation. Sure, running a foundation will require you to dedicate a lot of time, but it might be just the thing you need to ease your grief.
You can honor the memories and happy moments you once spent with your loved one through these simple and elaborate acts.
