Keeping Your Loved Ones Close After Death

The idea of losing someone you love dearly is never nice, but unfortunately, it is something that everyone will go through – and more than once for most of us. For some, it is the loss of siblings and parents; for others, it is grandparents, best friends or pets. 

One of the things that people like to do and often struggle with is how they can celebrate the life of their loved one – and how they can keep them close. 

In the early weeks, it can be a difficult thing to think about, as often denial, upset, and worry will be prevalent at the start. Over time, and when you feel more comfortable, you might begin to think about what you can do to keep the person with you all the time. 

There is no right way to honor the lives of the people we love, so it is about what feels right for you – and what you can cope with. 

Keeping in mind that there are both cremations and burials, here are some of the ways that you can honor your loved one. 

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Storybook / Life Story 

No matter how much time they have been on the earth, there will be a story to tell. One of the greatest things about creating a scrapbook-style storybook is that a lot of people can contribute. Turning it into something that can be cherished forever. If you create it online, you can make sure that everyone gets a copy too. 

The storybook can be filled with stories, photos, notes that they have left behind, and more. It can truly be something that is personal and wonderful. A celebration of them and you. 

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Items

One of the most difficult things to do after the passing of a loved one is to go through their items. There are going to be some things that don’t feel important to you and other things you might feel the need to have. Often, their most worn shirts and jackets hold their smell for many weeks after they have gone. 

Wearing clothing of theirs can help you to feel close to them – and feel like they are close to you. 

Jewelry is a popular item; often, wedding bands and rings get passed down and make more special memories. 

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Special Day

Every year on a day that means something – like their birthday, or the day they died (or any of the days that they celebrated) you can have a special day all about them. You can do this alone if that is what you want to do – or you can invite friends and family to come and share some food and create new wonderful memories. 

You can all spend some time talking about the person, sharing stories both funny and lovely. It is a great way to keep the memory alive and for people who need it to talk and share. 

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Tattoos

Tattoos aren’t something that everyone will want or enjoy getting. But many people will have a tattoo designed with the person in mind. It might have names, dates, or even a picture of them. For many people, a tattoo is a powerful and meaningful tribute to the person they love and something that they can take with them forever. 

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Ashes

When your loved one is cremated, you will receive cremations. The cremations are the ashes of the person. A long time ago, it was common to keep the entire ashes in a single urn or scatter them somewhere that the person thought was special. 

Now though, ashes can be made into diamonds, paperweights, fireworks, and cremation jewelry for ashes by Memorials.com. Not everyone likes the idea, but it is a way you can keep the person you love close to you at all times. 

Trees

There is a trend that many people have fallen in love with, and it is a biodegradable urn. The urn is planted into the soil, and a tree will grow from it. Since the tree will last forever, or at least have a very long life span, it creates a space that people can visit. 

If the biodegradable urn isn’t something that you like the idea of, planting a tree in memory of the person is also a lovely idea. You can put a plaque so that people can visit the tree and think about the person when they need to. 

Quilt or Pillow

One of the things is that there seems to be so much of their clothing. It is possible to have a pillow, teddy, or even a quilt made from their clothing. There are a lot of patterns online that you can find – or you can send the clothing off and someone will create a blanket, pillow cover, or a bear from the clothing. 

This is one of the nicest ways that you can keep their items close to you – but for them to have a new purpose. 

Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

Donation 

Donating the clothes and belongings of the person is something that can be difficult. What it means is that the items will get a second life. Their clothing and goods that are in good condition can be sold – and the money donated to a charity. 

Or they will be made good use of. Donating is often one of the quickest and most effective ways to deal with the material items left behind. 

Honoring and remembering your loved ones is something that you will find your own way to do – and it does look different for everyone. It is important that you take your time to make sure that you are doing it in the right way for you. 

It might be a tattoo of hearts, stars, and dates, or you might prefer to sit a teddy bear made from one of their shirts in your living room. Whatever you do should be something that also brings you peace. 

There are special times of the year when you might want to gift loved ones something unique, and here are some extra ideas: Holiday Gift Guide for Out of the Box Presents – Explore With Cassie.