I lost my father when I was two years old. It’s quite interesting to grow up knowing that something is missing and slowly coming to realize that there is a gaping hole in your heart and family. Now that I am 21 years old, I am better able to put my experiences and knowledge into perspective. I am now able appreciate the lessons that loss at an early age has provided me with and I want to share the wisdom with others.
I know that the annoying things that your parents do can drive you absolutely nuts, but the reality is that as you grow older, so do they. Love them loudly while they are still here and let yourself enjoy the embarrassment that they provide because you will miss it, and those moments provide the best memories.
1. Once lost, there is no turning back.
The reality of life is that NOTHING is forever and we do not get second chances. Every second, every phone call, every meal, and every memory that we get to share with those we love is a BLESSING, not a guarantee or a right. Appreciate them because you will beg for the opportunity to come back once its gone.
2. Be content with yourself and your life.
Since nothing is forever, the people who give you the most happiness will be gone someday. Since those people love you, they do not want their death to be the death of you. Always be sure that no matter who you love and could lose, you can go on without them.
3. Even though you know that you will lose, love and trust anyway.
The hardest thing about grief is that it puts an asterisk next to everyone you love that reads *This person may die at any moment* That new addition to everyone in your life makes you retreat into loneliness because the pain of loss is so great. Fight that urge. Even though you think that pulling away from those you love will save you from the hurt, it won’t. After they are gone you will not only grieve as you would have before, but you will loathe the fact that you did not take every single moment that you had with them.
Every human being experiences loss, it is the most humbling and torturous part of being human. But, the other side of grief is wisdom. There is beauty in pain and an ability to truly tap into all that life has to offer because the other reality is that OUR lives are not forever.
