Keep their legacy alive: 8 ideas for remembering a loved one

There’s nothing harder than losing a loved one.

As time passes, it gets easier and easier to cope with the loss, but they’ll never truly depart from your consciousness. Your memories keep them alive in your mind, but how do memorialize them in the physical world?

Today, we’re going to look at a few ways that you can remember a departed loved one. You might think that it’s better now to keep yourself distracted in this time of grieving, and that may be true, but remembering a loved one is a life long endeavor.

Sometimes it’s just not enough to think about the person, you’ve got to have something that specifically reminds you of them to feel like they’re still with you. We’ll go over some of these things and hopefully give you some inspiration on how to commemorate your loved one.

Remembering a Loved One After They’ve Gone

Honoring someone’s life in a respectable way is hard to do. Nothing can replace the real thing, but use these ideas to help you find something that’ll keep the person’s memory close to your heart forever.

1. Keep Something of Theirs

It could be a piece of clothing, a book they loved, or some jewelry; hanging on to your loved ones’ property can help you feel close to them after they’ve passed. You can keep it in a frame, wear it on occasion, or take it out of the closet when you feel like you need to remember.

Some people like to take a favorite garment and repurpose it into a blanket or a teddy bear that they keep around for comfort. It’s a creative way to give you a constant reminder of the person’s memory.

2. Look To the Stars

With the Star Name Registry, you can buy a bright star and name it after your loved one. When you look at the sky now, you just see a random assortment of celestial points of light.

But, if you buy a star, you’ll see the night sky with a whole new sense of purpose, as your loved one will be up there looking down upon you. No matter your religious leanings, it’s an incredibly unique and meaningful way to idolize your loved one.

3. Planting New Life

Naming a star is an out of this world way to remember the deceased while planting something new that will tether them to the earth forever. Try planting a tree or, if you’ve got the space, creating a whole garden for the memory of your loved one.

There’s no more beautiful way to celebrate life than to create and cultivate a new life in your own yard. When the tree blossoms every spring, you can go outside and marvel in the majesty of the natural world.

4. Charities

If your loved one passed because of a particular illness, a great way to remember them and their spirit is through charity. You can start a charity in their name to raise money and awareness for research in the fight against the disease that they passed from or make a charitable donation to an existing foundation.

Not only will this allow you to keep their name and their legacy alive in your community, but you’ll be helping to prevent the disease from killing more people. Creating a charity will help you remember the person in an extremely positive way as you do something great in your community.

5. Continue Celebrating

In many other cultures, people commemorate the lives of their loved ones on an annual basis. In Mexico, for instance, this is called the day of the dead and it occurs every year on November 2nd. All loved ones are remembered and celebrated on this date.

You could do the same and create a tradition of yearly remembrance in your family or community. Get together once a year to celebrate your loved ones’ lives, exchange stories, eat their favorite foods, drink their favorite drinks, and remember the joy that this person brought to everyone.

6. Shrines

Shrines are a big part of the grieving process in other cultures as well. If you’ve got access to some of your deceased loved one’s things, then you could make a small shrine in your home to remember them on a daily basis.

Get a small table, frame a picture, and place a garment or two on the table with some candles. This way, you can sit and reflect on your memories of the deceased person whenever you feel like you need to.

7. A Memorial Bench

You’ve probably noticed memorial benches in parks or pathways before. For a small fee, you can have a bench placed in a spot that they used to love visiting, so you and other grieving friends and relatives can sit and think about them.

There are a lot of companies out there that will put together memorial benches, but you could also purchase your own bench and have a memorial plaque made to put in your own backyard. Then, you can sit and think about your loved one whenever you want.

8. Immortalized In Art

Having a portrait of your loved one commissioned is another great way to immortalize them in your home. Search online for painters in your area that you think would do a good job and then hang the finished product in a prominent spot on your wall.

It’ll act as a conversation piece and allow you to reflect on their life anytime you look at it. You don’t have to have a traditional portrait, either. Anything that you feel represents the person’s memory is totally acceptable. As long as it means something to you, then the actual piece doesn’t matter.

Let Their Memory Live On

Remembering a loved one is all about keeping their spirit alive and well in your heart. Any way that you can make that happen is fine, whether it be with a physical object, a photo, or a distant star.

The grieving process is a long and complicated process. When it’s over, it can feel like there’s a void where that sadness used to be. Fill it with a memorial to your loved one.

Did you find this article helpful? Come back and visit us for more how to’s, as well as posts on health, home and garden, and lifestyle.