When I was recently told that my cousin, Dylan, had unexpectedly passed away, my heart nearly stopped. I felt as though the world had stopped spinning and it was coming crashing down around me. I dropped to my knees, began to sob, and screamed. The only thing I could say was, "No." I was devastated.

Every day up until the funeral, there was a lot of anger mixed with my sadness because I didn't think it was fair. I didn't Dylan was ready to leave this world. He was young and had so many great things left to do. It wasn't until I was sitting in the church service that I realized God didn't take Dylan to hurt us, He did it because He needed him.

During the church service, the pastor read passages from the Bible about loss and grief. I cried while he read, but I actually started to feel better. The pastor spoke about how we should remember Dylan for the amazing man he was and keep our memories of him close to our hearts. I thought back to my favorite memories of him and smiled.

Dylan was a special person. He loved his dogs, sports, and his family and friends. You could always find him watching the Tigers or whatever Univerisity of Michigan team was playing. He was a hard worker, incredibly smart, and a talented writer. He even started a blog and posted about the sports he loved. Dylan was also one of the sweetest people I've ever met. He showed everyone he met love and respect, and for that reason, he was my role model.

After the funeral, the days passed slowly. I was obviously still sad and I spent all of my time focusing on moving on and "getting over" losing Dylan. It wasn't until I started to write this article that I realize I don't have to "get over" my loss. I know that as time passes, I will start to feel better. In order to do that, I need to focus on remembering Dylan's love. Every day from now on, I will try to think positively about Dylan and my memories I have of him instead of holding onto my anger. I will allow myself to be sad at times, but I do not need to get over the loss of my cousin -- I just need to remember his love.

In loving memory of Dylan Lowell Corbett - "Love you 'cuz."