While I remember our deceased family members and friends, I don't draw attention to the different ways I try to honor and remember them. Remembering my stillborn and miscarried children, along with our deceased family and friends, are things I keep mostly keep between the Lord and myself. I might mention 10% of it, but the other 90% is kept private.
Some of our young friends are moving far away for work, and one of them mentioned they will be sad they can't visit a family member's grave.
After I shared my heart about some things I was struggling with, a friend shared Find a Grave with me. Since then, I leave virtual flowers and thoughts through Find a Grave. The nice thing about it is that the flowers never fade! Because of that, you can take comfort in seeing others have not forgotten a shared loved one either. You also might find a relative through Find a Grave!
Under a few different accounts, I've been volunteering with Find a Grave for a couple of decades now. If your loved one's grave is not on the site yet, you can add it yourself if you have the details. A local volunteer will go out and take pictures of the headstone and add it with the details for you.
My widow neighbor has one of her children drive her to her husband's grave every day. She also has a memorial in her yard for him that she cares for to also ease her grief. Going off of that, maybe a garden planter memorial can be utilized by those who move around a lot?
Dear Reader, I am so thankful that God judges us by our hearts instead of what is seen. Some people need big outward expressions to help them heal from grief while others do it quietly and privately. However you handle your grief, I hope you know the Lord and hold onto the promise that He will wipe every tear from our eyes. He collects our tears in a bottle because each one will be removed from us. Our God is personal, caring, and loving.
