Most of us know what it's like to lose a loved one. If not, you're lucky because it's one of the hardest things ever. How do you cope? How do you grasp the concept of never seeing that certain person ever again?

If your loved one died because of a sickness such as a terminal illness, kidney/heart failure, a heart attack, a stroke, or anything along those lines.. you just have to realize that they're done suffering. It should make you happy that they're up in heaven now and not having to deal with all the pain they were dealing with to stay alive. If they were on life support, how much fun do you think that was for them? Not fun whatsoever. Would you really want to have to be connected up to a machine just to survive? Or a breathing/feeding tube? There's obviously nothing good about that. Seeing your loved one like that, whether it be a parent, a sibling, or a grandparent, no one enjoys that. In heaven, they're happy and healthy. No more pain and suffering.

If your loved one died unexpectedly, there's nothing worse than that. You question why. You question what you did to deserve the tragic incident. You question your worth, your life. But, believe it or not, everything happens for a reason. Even if you don't know what that reason was, it still happened. God has a reason for doing everything because he has a plan.

Remember the good memories. Not the bad. Remember all of the times you spent with that person and how happy those times made you. Realize how lucky you were to share those good times with someone you loved and cared for. Focus on the memories that made you smile, not the ones that made you upset.

The reason I am writing this article is because my grandfather passed away almost 2 years ago. On November 21st, it will mark 2 long, painful years that my favorite man got taken away from me. He fought for a long, long time. Through a stroke and a heart attack, he pulled through and became strong again. Once his kidney started failing and his heart stopped working properly, it was all downhill from there. Doctor visit after doctor visit. Medication on top of more medication. My pap was miserable. Months later, he went into cardiac arrest which led to him being placed on life support. My pap didn't want that, he was not happy and he was suffering. We had to do what we knew was best which was pull the plug. Most excruciating pain in my life. My heart was broken. I had this mindset that I was not going to be able to cope with the viewing let alone the funeral. But, here I am today.. I'm content because I know my grandfather is so much happier in heaven than he was here with his family. He sure loved us, but he didn't love the doctor visits and the medications and the constant pain. I constantly remember the good times. All the ice cream dates we had, the nights we spent playing cards. Him calling me his "little girl." I think of those times and I smile.

So, this is some motivation that you can get through your toughest battles, even when you think you can't. Everything happens for a reason and God has a plan, just remember that.