It can be hard to navigate through the troubled waters of grief but it can be comforting to find ways to honor your loved ones once they have passed.

Through finding ways to remember them, you’re finding solace in ways that you would not expect and it can play a huge part in the healing process and the acceptance phase - when you understand that they are no longer with you, but not gone from your heart. It’s important for your well-being and being able to move on.

Be inspired by some of these ideas that may help capture the unique essence of your loved one and how their memory can live on.

Make a scrapbook of their life

Although it may be hard to compile when emotions are still very raw, it can be extremely cathartic to gather up photos and memorabilia in a scrapbook. It takes you on a journey to perhaps discover parts of their lives that you might not have known about and serves as a lifelong reminder of them as a person and the mark they made. It’ll be something that you’ll peruse from time to time when the mood takes you and once the grief is less fraught, the book will bring a smile to your face and warmth in your heart.

Create a living reminder

This makes for a wonderful memorial and is something that you can tend to and nurture over the years. Perhaps there is a special place that meant something to your loved one, or perhaps to you both. Even if it’s in your garden, find the time to find a plant or tree that is a suitable tribute to them and can be a place that you go to sit with your thoughts and remember them quietly. As you watch it grow over time, it will serve as a poignant reminder of your loved one.

Create a piece of jewelry

It’s often a lovely idea to have a custom made piece of jewellery that you can wear everyday as a reminder, such as a pendant that’s close to your heart. With Memorials.com you can capture the unique swirls and shape of your loved one’s fingerprint as a treasured keepsake, or perhaps a hand or footprint when the loss has been an infant.

Start a new tradition

It can be daunting to have anniversaries of deaths on the horizon, so why not turn the date into something that you and your family do to remember your loved one. It can be an activity that you all enjoy and perhaps your deceased loved one enjoyed too.

The creation of new traditions and rituals provides you with the opportunity to find meaningful and lasting ways to remember loved ones, while allowing them to play a role in celebrations going forward.

Keep something that was theirs close to you

It’s an honor to be able to cherish someone else’s belongings. Whether it’s a hat, piece of jewelry or article of clothing, you will have their memory close to you all day. It can be anything that they wore in their daily lives that you can now carry on wearing in your daily life.