I Still See You... from a Different Perspective
I still see you even though you’re not there. You’re still a part of my decisions. I feel you in my laughter and you’re a part of who I am because we grew together. Never has a “we’re nothing” been so unfair but life is so fleeting, and the soul eternal. However, we’ll never be apart from those we love.
Facing loss is one of the hardest parts of life. The emotional void left behind will always be there. However, a deceased person never completely disappears from your side. They live forever in many ways for as long as you live.
You’re not saying goodbye forever. You do say goodbye when you forget. Also, you can’t say goodbye for the rest of your life to those you remember every day. Perception changes after the death of a loved one, even if you can’t continue to enjoy their physical company. You know there’s a part of them in each and every person in whose life they made a difference, including you.
“And when my voice is silent in death, my song will speak in your leaving heart.”
-Rabindranath Tagore-
I still see you
You might think you’re not a human being on a spiritual journey but a spiritual being on a human journey. Death doesn’t take your loved ones away. On the contrary, it keeps them safe and immortalizes them in your memories. Life does steal them often and constantly. This is why you will continue to see them.
Anything established changes in the face of a loss. People find themselves in new situations and with different points of view. One of the biggest changes is to accept what’s gone and see what’s still there. In the darkest skies, one can appreciate the brightest stars.
Some memories will never be erased
“Just let me be weak and cry today. Tomorrow, I’ll be strong again.” This phrase summarizes the emptiness left after the loss of a person who was there throughout your life. Homesickness is often a sad reminder that everything used to be perfect but you didn’t realize it. However, you’re still happy the person you lost was a part of your life in spite of the sadness.
The memories you never deny and the people you never forget are the walls you build your fortress with. This fortress is where you’ll find a new path to place the person who’s no longer physically there but who’ll always be with you. Thus, you’ll continue to see them.
Hope
This isn’t the same as optimism. It isn’t the conviction that everything will be alright but the certainty that some of it makes sense, regardless of the outcome. Human beings already know the end result and it doesn’t keep us them from knowing that everything makes sense.
This is particularly true for those we won’t remember due to their extraordinary achievements and milestones but rather those whose example reinforced the human thread of goodness, compassion, and humility.
To the memory of my father. It’s the beginning of seeing you from a different perspective and the end of how I’ve always seen you. I’ll continue to see you everywhere; in my mother, in my brothers, in your granddaughters, and in those whose lives you touched somehow, like mine.
Our emotional footprint will still be a part of the people we met even after we’re gone.