First, I want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry you have to deal with something so horrible. I’m sorry that someone was taken away from you too soon. I’m sorry that you are now forced to carry on without a person who is so important to you. Above all, I’m sorry that saying sorry doesn’t change anything. There’s nothing that anyone can say or do to bring your loved one back. For that, I am deeply apologetic.

In an attempt to console you, people will say it gets better. Unfortunately, they’re wrong. More often than not, these people just don’t get it. I can tell you from first hand experience, when someone you hold near and dear to your heart passes away, it doesn’t get better; it gets different.

Holidays and birthdays will be extremely tough in the beginning. There are also certain milestones you will come to in your life that won’t feel like they are complete without the presence of your loved one. However, I can wholeheartedly say that you will come to a point in your grieving process where you will realize that death doesn’t mean that the person you love is gone forever, it only means that relationship has taken on a new form. That is a promise.

If your mother or father passes away, they are still your parents. If your brother or sister passes away, you still have siblings. If your best friend passes away, he or she will always be a best friend. Losing someone in the physical sense merely changes the way in which you interact with that person.

Someone who I considered to be my entire world passed away nearly 6 years ago. Even though I’m no longer able to walk into his room and see him, or pick up my phone and give him a call, he is always, always with me. The same goes for every other person who left this Earth too soon. Your loved one is the light you see from the stars at night, and the warmth from the sun you feel on your face throughout the day. Your loved one is just the right wind that cools you off on a hot summer morning, and the penny you find on the ground when you’re walking to your car. A love that is so strong never goes away; it has the ability to transcend beyond Earthly means.

Losing someone is tragic, and the pain that goes along with it is sometimes unbearable. It’s normal to cry, scream and be upset. In the midst of all the sadness, though, it’s important to constantly maintain the idea that you’ll forever have a guardian angel by your side. The person you lost will still be there for every holiday and birthday. The person you lost will still see the day you graduate, and they will still be there for your wedding. I know how much this hurts, and I know how badly you wish your loved one was still here, but nothing could ever take them away from you. Not even death.