
She was an amazing woman and a very strong figure in my life.
I am so lucky to have been able to spend so much time with her before she died.
It has taken me some time to process everything that happened, and I wanted to share my journey with you all.
Here are a few things I learned after my grandmother passed away:\
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1. Love is not a guarantee.
I have always been very close to my grandmother, and I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.
She was my best friend. I remember spending all my time with her when I was younger.
She was always there for me. She taught me all of the important lessons that I know, and she encouraged me and comforted me whenever I needed it.
And then it happened. She was gone.
I was not ready for that.
I don’t think we ever fully accept how short life is until something like this happens.
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2. Gratitude can be found in the darkest of times.
My grandmother taught me to always look for the good in situations and to never let the bad overtake me and hold me back from achieving my goals.
I think that I was never really prepared for how fast and hard the days after losing my grandmother could be.
I had so many thoughts about how unfair the world was for taking her away from us, but then I started realizing that this is what she wanted.
She taught me not to take things for granted and to always be grateful for what I have.
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3. You can choose your perspective as much as you can choose your goals.
When she died, music was suddenly very important to me.
I didn’t listen to any music when I was upset but instead chose to listen to music that reminded me of her.
Instead of allowing myself to be upset and frustrated, I let the lyrics and the song itself inspire me with a sense of gratitude for what my grandmother had given me in life.
While she is gone, that does not mean that she is forgotten.
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4. You don’t have to be okay with things.
I had a very hard time accepting the fact that my grandmother was gone.
I was strong and had accepted death long before she passed away because I knew that she wanted it this way, but her death still shocked me and took me by surprise.
I am not ok with a lot of things in life (such as my anxiety, for example), and this can be a challenge at times.
Being okay with the things in life that you don’t like can make things easier.
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5. The world keeps moving on without you.
I was so obsessed with my grandmother and how upset I was that she had died, but I soon realized that it didn’t matter how much I worried about her death; the world kept on moving.
I was reminded of this by looking at her pictures.
I was so angry that she had died that I stopped looking at her actual page.
But then I realized that she is still alive and still wants us to celebrate her life. This is a realization that I have only just come to.
She will always be there in our minds, but those memories can help give us comfort, joy in life, and thankfulness for what we have while they are here with us.
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6. Life goes on.
I am still in the process of trying to accept the things in life that I don’t like, but I know that no matter how much it hurts and no matter how long it takes, life will go on.
This is a very hard concept for me to fully comprehend.
In our world today, we have access to so much information and almost instant communication.
Our perception of death has changed from a natural process to something unnatural and awful.
I will always cherish my memories with my grandmother, and I know that nothing can ever take those away.
But even though she is gone, I will always be thankful for the time that we had together.
I am still in the process of accepting her death, but I know that once I realize how grateful I am for everything she has done for me, then it will make things a lot easier to handle.
Also, a big shout-out to my mom, who is an awesome lady and a great inspiration in my life.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism |
Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box |
The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer |
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Photo credit: Paolo Bendandi on Unsplash
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism
Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box
The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer
