Everyone, at some point in their life, is going to have to face moving on. This process is almost never easy and is almost always painful.

As August approaches, so does one of the most painful experiences that I have ever had to move past, the (ninth) anniversary of the passing of my grandfather. In light of recent events that have brought great sorrow to the lives of myself and my friends as well as this impending anniversary, I feel as if discussing the healing process that follows a tragedy is a most necessary discussion. 

As tragedy strikes, it is near impossible to see a future without pain. It is hard to see the immediate suffering as anything other than everlasting and it is difficult to imagine a time when you will ever laugh or enjoy life again. 

In the days leading up to the funeral, the tragedy is all that you can think about or focus on. You wallow in your pain and allow it to consume everything that you are without reservation. You mourn the loss of happiness and life and you welcome your friends comfort in your time of need.

When a community is hit with a tragedy, especially one as horrible as ours, suffering is felt on a universal level. Stories are shared and events are remembered fondly. You cling on to what was and try desperately to forget what is. Regardless of your efforts to feel a shred of joy, you will likely remain feeling intense despair. After all, 

"Pain demands to be felt."-Augustus Waters

How can you move on? How can you begin to reassemble your life and move forward? 

Allow yourself the proper amount of time to grieve and begin to focus on the positive aspects of your life. As one of my Twitter followers shared, 

"Death leaves a heartache that no one can heal, but love leaves memories that no one can steal." -@td_barnes 

Remember the love and joy your loved one brought to your life and vow to live every day in their honor. Cherish your memories and hold them close.

Personally, I have lived every day for the past nine years in honor of my grandfather and the lessons he taught me. I was able to move past the sorrow that overcame me after his passing by promising to devote my life to carrying on his legacy and sharing his memory so that he could live on. This has in no way lessened my appreciation for his life or belittled my sorrow for his passing. Rather, it has empowered me to carry on and has brought me comfort that he isn't truly gone until stories of his life have stopped being shared. 

Take the recent events in your lives that have brought you pain and find ways to stand back up and face the day anew. You are not defined by what has hurt you, you are defined by how you rise up and succeed in the face of tragedy. Let the pain you feel now serve as a catalyst to move you forward into the next chapter of your life. The chapter where you prove you are strong enough to overcome the tremendous grief you have felt. As a friend of mine posted,

"Sometimes it takes sadness to know happiness, noise to appreciate silence, and absence to value presence."-Keaghan Hahn