If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you know how painful the holidays can be at times. You try to put on your happy face when you’re with people, but when you are alone with your thoughts and that happy face dissolves, you are left with an indescribable aching in your chest.
At times you stare longingly at a photograph of your loved one. At other times, you keep the photographs turned face down because it is just too painful to see them looking so vibrant.
For the umpteenth time you wrestle with the same questions, “What if – ?” “Why didn’t I – ?” and especially this one, “Why?”
All the trite sayings people say to you, like “They’re in a better place,” or “It must have been their time,” don’t help one bit. As a matter of fact, sometimes those statements make you mad. But you smile and say, “Thank you,” because that’s the kind of person you are.
Why are you so beleaguered by your grief? Why does the pain still feel so fresh? The answer lies within you: It is because you loved them so deeply.
You see, there is only one way to avoid the pain of loss and that is to never care. As a matter of fact, the amount of pain you feel from loss is directly proportionate to the deepness of the love you had for them. Ironic, isn’t it?
So that pain that you are feeling today serves as a reminder of how fortunate you are to have experienced the blessing of deep, abiding love for another human. Think how empty your life would have been without them and smile through your tears.
Count the blessing of both love and loss because clearly your loved one will live forever in your heart.
Stories With Heart 
Thank you, Thank you.