14 Things You Can Do To Remember Your Loved Ones

One of the most painful things to ever deal with is having to move on when a loved one passes away. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are, when it happens, it can be traumatizing. Plus, on top of that, depending on what happened you might even need to recruit a wrongful death lawyer for help. It’s horribly stressful, right?

If you have recently lost someone close to you then you may be worrying that you will forget them. Absence does not make you forget those that were close to you, it makes the heart grow fonder. Remember, a loved one will always be in your heart and their memories will always be in your head. However, if you are looking for ways to remember your loved ones then take a look at the article below for some beautiful ideas. ​

Put Photos Up

One thing you can do in order to remember someone you have lost is put photos up around your home to remind you of how awesome they were. If you have some photos then get them printed out and make a collage for them. Every time you look at them you can smile knowing they had some fun times while they were still alive, and they may be having the same good fun on the other side. If you lost a sibling, parent, or child then you might want to place their ashes by the photos. You can get some beautiful urns by memorials.com. ​

Create A Family Tree

Something else you can do is create a family tree in order to display on your walls to show how proud you are of your lost family member. A family tree will show you where your family members come from and all the parents, siblings, and other family along the way. You can either make these yourself or commission someone to do them for you using all the information you have gathered. There are a couple of great sites you can use such as Ancestry or MyHeritage.

Plant A Tree

If your lost loved one enjoyed gardening or spending time outside then you might like to plant a tree or other shrub in their memory. You could place a bench or other seat by it so you can sit and think about them when times get hard. Planting a tree is common for people who have lost someone close to them. This might be due to the tree growing as their love grew for that person. It is wonderful to see how a tree or plant grows and develops with love and care in the garden. ​

Get A Tattoo

You might be on the lookout for something more permanent, well how about a tattoo? There is nothing that says I love you and want to remember you more than a permanent fixture on your skin. Make sure you know what you want to get; it could be initials, a quote, or even their face. Now you need to get this designed and find the tattooist you want to do your tattoo for you, make sure you are checking reviews and previous work. You may already have tattoos, in which case you can just go back to the artist that did your other pieces. ​

Revisit Favorite Destinations

If your loved one liked to travel then how about revisiting destinations that they really enjoyed going to? You could make a list of all their favorite places, or even places on their bucket list, and work your way through them. Every place you visit, take a picture and put this somewhere your loved one will be able to see it when they come to see you. There is no harm in thinking that they are there with you at all times, it gives a lot of people hope and comfort.

Organize Fundraisers

Your loved ones might have really enjoyed taking part in or organizing certain events. If this is the case then why does it have to stop just because they are gone? You could carry this on in their memory and organize something for a cause they were passionate about. It could also be for something that is close to your heart now they have passed. For instance, if they died of a certain type of cancer then this could be the thing you raise money for. 

Memorial Jewelry

If you wear jewelry then why not get something made in memory of your lost loved one? This could be anything from a fingerprint necklace to a ring containing some of their ashes. Ashes jewelry is becoming increasingly popular as it means you have a piece of your loved one with you each time you wear it. If someone is struggling to come to terms with the news then this is something you could give them. It will bring them comfort knowing their loved ones are now with them and close to them. Make sure you only use reputable companies as you don’t want the ashes to get lost or stolen. 

Write Them Letters

Do you enjoy putting pen to paper? If so, write your loved ones some letters detailing what is going on in your life or the world. You can keep these letters or store them in a place that was special to your loved ones. For instance, if they had a bedroom in your home then you could store them here. You could also display them on the wall if you believe they will bring comfort to your loved ones. You can buy some beautiful writing sets that include paper and envelopes. ​

Visit A Butterfly Garden

In some cultures, they believe that butterflies are the souls of loved ones floating around. What better way to be close to them than to visit a butterfly garden? There are some beautiful gardens around with a whole array of butterflies just flitting about. You can take a seat and watch as they float by, all beautiful and innocent. This can bring you immense levels of comfort knowing that your loved ones are safe and busy flying around in their gorgeous gardens. Alternatively, if you don’t want to grieve in public then you could plant butterfly-friendly plants in your garden. 

Set Up A Remembrance Page

Was your loved one popular and did they have a huge friend base? If so, you might like to set up a memorial page so people can pop by and remember them in their own way. You can set it up in such a way that it includes a wall for people to post writing or they can add pictures to the gallery. This is a lovely way for everyone to see what fun your loved one had while they were alive and all the memories people have of them. Sites like Facebook allow you to do this, or there are other great ones as well. 

Leave An Empty Chair

Are you convinced your loved one is still with you? If so, then you might want to leave an empty chair for them to join you at the table or even on the sofa. This is quite common if a parent passes away, their children will always keep an empty chair for them at the table. If family meals were common then it would always be the chair they sat at. It could bring you great comfort knowing you are not eating alone. If you are having a big family gathering then be sure nobody sits in the chair that is meant for your loved one. 

Give To Charity

Did your loved one enjoy raising money for various charities close to their heart? If they regularly donated then you could carry this on as a remembrance type of thing. Find out where they donated and how much they donated. This will bring a sense of happiness and achievement that you are carrying something on that was close to your loved one. If there are other charities that are similar then you could donate to them as well. ​

Plan An Annual Remembrance

Similar to the remembrance page, you could set up an annual celebration of life. This can include people who were close to your loved ones such as friends, family, and coworkers. Pick a place that they particularly loved, for instance, the park or field. If they were a homebody then you could even hold it in your home. Invite everyone that was close to them and inform them of the venue, date, and time of the event. You could set off a bunch of balloons in memory of them each year as well. 

Volunteer At Grief Meetings

Finally, if you are dealing with your grief then how about you help others to deal with theirs? This is not something that everyone will be able to do but if you think you can manage it then you could help others through their grief-stricken journey. Grief can affect people in many different ways, if they have someone to guide them and listen to them then things may not always need to take a turn for the worse. If there is no group near you for people to come and talk about their loved ones then you could set one up. 

We hope you found this article helpful and that it gave you some lovely ideas on how you can remember those closest to you.