Having a moment (or many moments) when you miss someone who has passed, can be hard. Knowing what to do to get you through these tough moments is different for everyone. I knew soon after Tracy had passed that I would have to find ways to cope with this big loss in my life. I have a few ways that help me cope when I feel one of those tough moments coming on.
- Reflecting on memories - I go back to many of the great memories of us together. Sometimes it is something that was not a big deal at the time, but now it is for me.
- Writing - I have been very fortunate to be able to write a lot about my life with Tracy and share it. I know it has helped to inspire some people and that is very comforting for me.
- Honoring her legacy - I have Help Your Hero to help me with our pay it forward promise and to keep her legacy alive and that is very rewarding.
- Going through old photographs – Looking through photos of Tracy and me is the one that I have found helps me cope the most. I have them in my bedroom and look at them each morning as I wake up and get my day started. I have photos throughout my house, and as I type this blog post, I look at the many photos that I have in my office of Tracy and me. As much as I miss her, they bring me so much comfort. To see her smiling face again brings a smile to my face.
This last coping method was only possible because of all the photos we took together, and it is easy to find a photo of her because they are all around me. In looking through all these photos, I realized that I have so many great pictures of Tracy and me, and it saddens me that I will not ever have another photo of us together again in this physical world.
Because of this, I challenge you to take more photographs of you and your loved ones.
Some people don't like to have their photos taken for different reasons. Don't worry about what you look like. People analyze your photos a lot less than you think they do, and they are mainly analyzing themselves if they are in the photo. I have been a size 6 and a size 16. I can tell you, if I waited to have photos taken until I was my ideal size 10 again, I would not have had photos taken of me for the past 10 years...and possibly even more.
So grab your camera or your cell phone and take pictures while you are making a lot of great memories with your loved ones this holiday season and beyond. It can bring you a lot of comfort in the years to come.
All the best, always!
Smiles,
Jackie
