Life is full of unexpected events. It is clearly stated that life comes with ups and downs, but those ups and downs are what shape you as a person. You have people in your life who will teach you life lessons and make you a better person, and for those people we are grateful.

But it is devastating when those we love are no longer here to physically help us in our time of need. For them, we pull up our bootstraps and move past the bad and find the good. For them, we are grateful to be able to stand today and give thanks and gratitude to have them be a part of our lives and shape us into the growing people we are. For the people we lose within our lifetime live in each and every person they have touched.

It may have been a smile accompanied with a hello or a goodbye partnered with a warm loving hug; regardless of what the gesture was, that in itself has touched every being within the emotions of our bodies. The people we lose within our lives bring bodies of people, communities and families together under unfortunate circumstances to mourn and remember those we no longer have the privilege to have physically with us.

Those who move beyond the life we live today leave lasting footprints and memories that will forever live in our hearts. There is nothing and no one who can take the relationships you have built, the memories you treasure and the blessings you have been given.

Right now, things may not make sense and you may think your world is being flipped upside down, but keep in mind the beauty and the good.

Keep your fondest memories of your loved one no longer with us close to your heart and know they are forever watching over you with the angels and the saints. Find closure in the memories and comfort in kind words. Remember the memories made even sweeter now and the lessons made even more apparent in the wake of a loved one.

To whomever it may concern, I hope you find comfort in these words, and if you don’t, I hope comfort finds its way to you in the near future.

Keep your head high and your faith higher.