Be the Things You Loved Most About the People Who Are Gone
Grief is a shapeshifter. It arrives in sharp waves, in quiet moments, in smells, songs, and sidewalk memories that tug at you when you're least expecting it. And when someone we love leaves this world, it can feel like their absence takes pieces of us with them.
But there's another way to look at it: maybe, just maybe, we get to carry their best pieces forward.
The quote in the image above struck something deep in me: "Be the things you loved most about the people who are gone." (found somewhere on social media… no source as usual)
It’s not about moving on. It’s about moving forward—with them still woven into the fabric of who you are.
Did they laugh easily? Be someone who finds joy in the little things. Did they listen without judgment? Offer someone that safe space. Did they always show up, even when it was hard? Do the same—for yourself or someone else.
We don’t have to become them. But we can honor them by becoming more like the parts of them that lit up our world.
So I paint. I write. I light candles. I try to be present. I make a home that feels like a hug.
Not to replace them. But to invite them in and carry them forward.
If you're grieving, I see you. I’m with you. And maybe today you can take one trait, one moment, one sparkle from someone you miss—and wear it like a badge of love. Not as a weight, but as light.
They may be gone. But the best parts of them are still here. Because they now live in you. 💙
#GriefHealing
#GriefIsLoveWithNowhereToGo
#HonorTheGone
#BeTheirLight
