Celebrating The Loss Of A Loved One

[Cat]

Should we grieve the loss of a loved on or celebrate their life- both in my opinion. To heal from the loss of a loved one we must allow ourselves to grieve. To forbid grieving is to forbid our humanity. This is the only way to healing otherwise one remains stuck. However, it is also a time to celebrate. So, it is both. If people love you, they can't help but mourn your loss while at the same time celebrating the gift you were to them.

In an attempt to answer without getting into "locked thread" territory...I feel that, ultimately, celebrating your lost loved one's life (whether a two-legged or four-legged family member) is far more comforting and meaningful than pining over their loss and missing them. Don't get me wrong, grieving and wishing they were still here is perfectly normal and something almost every mammal on the planet does, and nobody should ever feel guilty about that (after all, my grandmother died over 10 years ago, but I still have moments that I really wish she was still here! She was a diabetic with dozens of health problems, and I know that she's not in pain anymore, and I wouldn't want her to have to go through what she did when she was alive...but I still miss her!) We all go through that at some point in our lives, usually several times at least. But it still remains that we all have a limited time in this life, and I've found that it's much more comforting knowing that we'll all be at peace when our time comes. No matter what your faith is, or lack thereof, I believe that if you lived a good life, your death is not in vain, no matter what happens after we're gone. If you influenced someone positively or made someone happy, if you treated them with respect and were a good person (or doggie, or kitty or whatever), your life should be celebrated. Of course that life and those experiences will be missed, but if you made someone elses' life better, your life was not in vain and ultimately you served your purpose...to make the life or lives of those who loved you just that much better.