Losing a loved one is probably the most difficult thing we experience during life. We know that it’s important to remember all the lost loved ones in special, unique ways. From Grandparents to family pets, everyone deserves something that will help you remember them. Here are some ways you can keep their memory alive.
A Photo
Pictures really do speak a thousand words. Even if your loved one isn’t with you physically anymore, you can still have something physical in your home to remember them. Photos don’t take much space, and they can instantly transport you to the memory of the time the photo was taken. Some of our favorite sympathy gifts include our collection of personalized photo frames. They help you show the personality of the person in the photo and memorialize the occasion the photo was taken for.
Make Something
Crafting can be a great way to relieve stress or give you time to process something. Consider making something that reminds you of your loved one: a bird feeder painted in your Grandmother’s favorite colors, a t-shirt blanket with all of your Dad’s sports team t-shirts, or create a unique watercolor painting of the front of your childhood home. You’ll be reminded of them every time you use or look at the item.
Plant Something
Planting a tree or creating a memorial garden is a great way to honor a lost loved one. Even if your loved one wasn’t a gardener, planting something brings life to death in a symbolic way. Your loved one’s spirit can live on in this new life. Make the garden area even more special with one of our unique memorial garden stones or garden flags!
Set Up a Scholarship
If your loved one was a teacher or other type of educator, setting up a scholarship in their name is a great way to remember them. Some scholarship funds are set up by family members who use money left to them from a loved one’s estate, but that’s not the only way to do it. You can make it a community scholarship in your loved one’s name. Friends and family can donate each year to raise the full scholarship amount!
An Ornament
The holiday season is always an important time to remember your loved ones. Purchase a memorial ornament to hang on the Christmas tree this year and every year in the future. We have a great selection that you can print photos on, personalize with their name or even have a favorite phrase or quote of theirs etched onto. Ornaments are also perfect dog memorials because you can hang them in a shadow box or on your mantel all year round!
Have a Remembrance Dinner
Every year on your loved one’s birthday, get friends and family together for a remembrance dinner! You can share your loved one’s favorite meals with each other as well as your favorite memories with them. It’s a great way to keep their memory alive and commune with your other loved ones so no one grieves alone.
Host a Charity Walk or Run
Pick a cause that was important to your loved one and host an event in honor of them! Raise money for the cause by collecting registration fees and then donate the check in their name to the local charity that corresponds to that cause. You can make a difference in their name and ensure that their charitable personality lives on.
Travel to Their Favorite Places
Or, travel to places they wanted to go but never did. Take pictures and think about all the things your loved one would have said or done in those places. If you’re going to their favorite places, make sure to find the places from their pictures! Sometimes, restaurant owners will take a picture of you holding the picture of your loved one, recreating the scene from the past. It’s a unique and fun way to honor your loved one, experiencing all the things they did.
You don’t just have to pick one of these things! Remembering a loved one doesn’t have to be done one way. Sometimes, the best way to remember a loved one is to do different things that remind you of them. Adopt your Mom’s dog she had before she passed, finish fixing up the classic car your Dad purchased and hang their wedding photo on your wall. Doing a combination of things will make you feel like they haven’t really left you after all.
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