Everyone in life understands the concept of loss. However, "loss" is different and carries a unique weight for each person we will encounter in our lives. For those lucky ones out there, loss is simply the feeling of losing one of your favorite pairs of pants. But for those who have had the unfortunate experience of losing a loved one, loss carries a much greater impact. Whether we have lost them to death, or lost them for any of a number of other reasons, this loss is brutal. Dealing with any type of loss is inevitably going to be painful, but the pain will soon subside and sooner than you might realize, there are positives to come out of tragic circumstances.

I realize that the last thing any grieving person wants to hear is that there are positives to their situation, but you must trust that there are. Being someone who has experienced more loss than anyone should ever have to deal with, I understand the annoyance of cliches and the constant tid-bits of advice constantly being given. But I truly think that in order to get through these tough times, we must acknowledge that there will be light in our lives soon enough. It is healthy to be upset and in pain, but in the back of your head know that you will feel better soon enough. You will come to realize the importance of life, love, friendship, and yes, loss. So hang in there. The love and support you are experiencing right now will never disappear and life will once again gain its spark.

Everyone naturally deals with loss in their own way, but my advice to anyone experiencing this horrid feeling would be as follows. Yes, life is unfair. The universe takes people out of our lives in ways and at times which we will never be able to understand. However, we must not dwell on the fact that they are gone. Instead, cherish the memories you have. Laugh at the times you had fun. I realize this advice is painfully cliche, but it is critical that we don't waste our lives mourning because those who we are mourning would not have wanted that. To bring the greatest honor to our lost ones, we must be happy for all the times that they are unable to be unhappy. So I will leave you with one final thought: remember to always live your greatest and fullest life, if not for you, than for those who are no longer able to live this kind of life for themselves.