When a loved one passes way, one of the first things surviving family members start doing is dig through memories to try and preserve their loved one as best as they can. This is while they are also navigating their grief and planning the funeral. They start backing up old photographs and videos, save voicemails, gather ticket stubs, and so much more. Suddenly those little things they took for granted each day become the big, most important things they deeply cherish.
I remember as a child, right after my mother died, my family members started going through her belongings. They would talk about memories when she wore this jacket or that dress, what the memory was of her wearing certain clothes. Even the little things were preserved…such as her handwriting on the last check she ever wrote, or a glove she often wore, her driver’s license, or even her perfume.
When a death happens, it’s a natural instinct for families to preserve reminders of their late loved one as best as they can. The more they can preserve, the more they can still feel connected to their loved one and hang onto them in the only way that’s possible now.
When you pass one day, what will be left behind that defines you? What’s your legacy going to be? What will your kids want to preserve to honor your late memory? What will mean so much to your spouse that gets left behind? Will it be your journal? Your favorite scarf? A family photograph from Disneyland?
Instead of waiting for the day that your last chapter arrives, why not carefully preserve your memory now? Once you are gone, it’s too late to carefully do this. Your loved ones will only have what is physically left in that moment during that season of life. However, if you take the time to work on this now, you could leave a beautiful parting gift behind to your loved ones.
By creating a Reflektion now, you can help your loved ones later. The sting of your death will hurt your loved ones. A Reflektion you made while still alive can help heal your loved ones.
The time is now to help with healing later.