Ways to Memorialize a Loved One

It’s been said that grief is an expression of the deep love you feel for your loved one that passed away. Losing someone you love can cause you to feel pain unlike anything you’ve ever known. Their absence can feel like a gaping wound. As you process your grief you may find yourself wondering how you can memorialize your loved one. This is a wonderful, healthy way to process your grief. Below we’ve listed a few ways you might consider. 

• Memorial Service – In the days following the death of your loved one, you will want to plan a memorial service or celebration of life. There you can speak of your relationship, your love for one another, their life, and their faith. In the years that follow, you may want to continue to memorialize their death anniversary by releasing butterflies, balloons, or lanterns or bring the community together around an event celebrating their life.
• Create a Memorial – Creating a memorial is a wonderful, visible way to memorialize your loved one. This might look like planting a garden of their favorite flowers or planting a beautiful tree. You might choose to place a bench with a plaque where you can go when you want to feel close to them. Placing birdfeeders out to attack local birds. You could have a memory quilt made of their clothing, make a photo wall, or a scrapbook.
• Online Memorials – Perhaps a physical memorial is not possible. You could create an online memorial where you share your photos and favorite memories and stories. At Mi Alma, we’ve created a space here where you can create a page for your loved one, share the link, and invite friends, family, and coworkers to share their photos and memories.
• Incorporate Their Keepsakes – If you have the opportunity to inherit some of your loved one’s belongings, you could choose to incorporate those into your home. Whether it's kitchen or dining items, pictures, furniture, or paintings, you can place those in places that help them feel a part of your everyday life.
• Keep Traditions – It may feel important to you to keep the traditions your loved one cherished, whether it's hosting family get-togethers or continuing to celebrate their faith or culture. But you might also consider starting new traditions for gathering family and friends to remember your loved one.
• Honor Their Memory During the Holidays – The holidays can feel especially hard in the absence of those you love. Consider making their favorite meal or side, maybe you could use their dining ware, make an arrangement with their favorite flowers, decorate your table with their favorite colors or linens, or toast to their life and memory.
• Tell Their Story – Telling your loved one’s story is a great way to keep their memory alive. You can do this by simply talking about them, writing out their stories, or sharing their photos. Whether it’s face-to-face or online, simply speaking their name keeps them with you.
• Volunteer – You might consider volunteering in honor of your loved one or participating in a cause or charity that was important to them. Work to raise money benefiting cancer or disease research or help at their house of worship. This could also look like monetary donations to a favorite cause, ministry, or non-profit in memory of them.
• Celebrate special days – Birthdays and anniversaries can be hard when your loved one has passed away. You could plan a simple, yet thoughtful celebration where you gather friends and family to celebrate their life.
• Tattoo or jewelry: Getting a tattoo is a common, visible way to memorialize your loved one. You can work with a tattoo artist and collaborate on making your ideas a reality. You might also consider wearing jewelry that holds sentimental value, whether it’s their birthstone or initials.
• Continue to live your life – In all that you may consider doing to memorialize your loved one, don’t forget to continue living your own life. The reality is that you can’t continue to live their life through your own. But you can find healthy coping mechanisms to process your grief so that you heal and carry them with you into the future.