Grief comes in all shapes and forms and changes everything you know in an instant. Sometimes it’s gentle, you’re prepared for it and sometimes it hits hard, unexpectedly and suddenly, the world you knew no longer exists. Suddenly, everything that once felt safe and familiar feels empty and disorienting.

But it’s in that shocking moment, it’s in that moment where reality hits you that you learn some of the most profound lessons about what it means to love and what it means to lose.

You learn that love doesn’t fade away just because someone died.

You learn that you need to tell the people you love how much you love them, before it’s too late.

You learn that you may never stop missing that person, but you will eventually learn how to live without them, even though the void they left may never truly be filled.

You learn that healing doesn’t follow a timeline, but you will learn how to heal on your own, time and time again.

You learn to stop waiting for the “right moment” to reach out, say sorry or forgive someone.

You learn to cherish every moment with your loved ones, knowing how quickly life can change and how fleeting everything is.

You learn that some people won’t know how to show up for your grief and that your healing might have to be a solo ride for a while.

You learn to treasure the little things; the calls you used to ignore, the quick texts, the silly photos, because now you know those moments are never really small.

You learn that making memories is all you have right now and all that you will be left with when someone dies.

You learn how to be gentler with others and with yourself.

You learn that it’s okay to miss them forever.

You learn to stop holding love so tightly in your chest, to let it out while there’s time because when you look back, all you’re going to think about is what you didn’t say when you had the chance. 

And finally, you learn that love is the one gift that you can truly give someone, because when it’s real, it leaves an imprint that not even death can erase.