In life, we will all face losing someone we love and care about. Whether it be a relative, friend, co-worker, teammate, classmate, significant other, or even a hometown acquaintance, it’s never easy. Sometimes, we think we know when someone is going to pass soon, depending on their health, or maybe age, but it is not something you can ‘prep’ for. The emptiness and rush of emotion that overwhelms one’s body, as they intake the news of a loss is unbearable. Questions begin to fill your mind such as: “why?”, “how?”, etc.

The ‘aftershock’ of a loss is filled with stages of grief, confusion, and mixed emotions. Some people turn to God, some people find a way to point blame, and some people even face depression. How one handles a loss varies by each person. It is not supposed to be a competition on who is hurting the most, who knew the person longest, or even who had the strongest bond. There is no proper way to handle it. It doesn’t come with a rule book and the stages of grief do not always end up in the order they are made out to be.

I know we have all thought “if heaven wasn’t so far away” and someone will always come to mind. Who would you visit? How long would you stay? We all have wondered how we would ever move on with our lives once we lose somebody and if it actually happens, we don’t know where to turn. How could the person you might have spent every day with, possibly turn into the person you think of every day? Losing someone makes an impact on your life, but just because they're gone does not mean we can stop time and not move on. At times, we feel like the world keeps spinning, but we stand still. Hard truth, life goes on and there is not anything we can do about it.

If we had even one more day with a person we have lost, how would we spend it? These “what if” thoughts race your mind and creates scenarios that will lead to false hope. Memories begin to fade as the years go on, but you know that the person that is gone will never be forgotten. Handling a loss is not easy, there is no time limit on when we will be “OK”, and some days will definitely be harder than most. We all dream of the day that we meet with that person again, we smile when we have flash backs of good times, and we continue to cherish every day with the people we love.

Life is short and if heaven wasn't so far away, I’d visit you everyday.