When you lose a loved one, keeping their memory alive is undoubtedly something that’s very important to you. And, directing your energy and efforts into doing something special to uphold the memory of your friend or relative who’s passed can be a very healthy way to deal with your grief and emotions. Whether it’s something small and personal for yourself, or a larger scale event to fundraise for a cause that really helped your loved one once, there are several great ideas to consider when it comes to a special memorial.

#1. Create a Keepsake:

If you want something personal for yourself to remember your loved one always, creating a keepsake is a lovely idea. There are several companies that make beautiful jewelry items with ashes, allowing you to have a part of your precious relative or friend with you at all times. Another idea would be to make something out of an item of their clothing; cushions and teddy bears are popular choices. Or, plant a tree in their honor, somewhere that you can easily visit whenever you are thinking about them and want to feel close to them.

#2. Fundraise for a Cause Close to Their Heart:

Choosing a cause that your loved one was passionate about and doing something to fundraise for it is a beautiful idea because you’ll be doing good and making them proud of you at the same time. Whether you fundraise for a medical charity that really helped them out during their final weeks or another cause that they were always passionate about, such as environmental charities or animal rescue centers, it’s a great idea for doing something in their memory and getting the whole community involved.

#3. Start a New Tradition:

Establishing a tradition that family members and friends can stick to every year is a great way to keep the memory of your loved one alive forever. Even if it’s something simple, such as releasing balloons on their anniversary or getting together as a family on their birthday to celebrate, it can be a very effective way to make sure that the memory of your loved one lives on. And, if you’re all gathered together, you can share happy stories and memories of the time that you had with them, which is often essential for helping families and close friends to overcome grief.  

#4. Share Their Story:

The best way to make sure that the memories of your loved one never fade is to share their story. In some cases, you might want to do this by setting up a charitable fund in their name and honor; you could even have a dedicated website on which you tell their story and let everybody know just what a wonderful person they were. And, simply keep their photos on display around your home, light candles for them, and tell your children stories about your time together.

#5. Dedicate an Event to Their Memory:

Dedicating an event to your loved one’s memory is a great way to remember them and it can also help to bring your community together. Whether it’s an event that’s already established or something that you organize specifically to dedicate, almost any kind of event would be fit for this purpose. It’s a nice touch to choose an event that you know your loved one would have really enjoyed; they will surely be with you there in spirit on the day.

#6. Create a Place for Them:

For many families, it’s important to have a dedicated place that they can go and spend some time with their loved one, whether it’s a plot in a graveyard or even a special area of their garden. Spending some time making a beautiful memorial for them and decorating their special place in a way that they would have loved can be very helpful for the healing process and helps many families begin to find peace. This memorial park is the perfect option for your loved one’s final resting place and can help with planning a funeral service or simply creating a peaceful sanctuary for you to visit and feel close to them.

#7. Create New Life:

Many people create a new life when they lose a loved one, by planting a tree in their honor. But you don’t have to stop there. You can plant a whole garden for them, or if you can, keep their own garden tended and alive for them, in their honor. And, gardening can be a very therapeutic process, too.

#8. Live Your Best Life:

Your loved one would always want you to be happy and live your life to the fullest, so do so in their honor. Perhaps they had a bucket list that they were working through; you may enjoy completing those items for them, even if it means facing your fears in the process – you will certainly make them very proud of you. Live the best life that you can, do things that you’ve always wanted to do, and be happy, as a tribute to them – they would want this for you.

#9. Do Anything That Helps You:

Don’t forget that there is no right or wrong way to mourn the loss of a loved one and keep their memory alive. Whether you found the above ideas helpful or already have ideas of your own that you prefer, bear in mind that anything that helps you to feel better and heal is the right thing for you. Whether you go down the traditional route of creating a memorial or want to do something a little less mainstream to remember your loved one, remember that the main thing is that it’s something that you would like to do, which helps you feel closer to them and makes grieving them easier.

After the loss of a loved one, most people simply want to remember them in as many ways as they can. How do you remember your loved ones? Whether it’s made it to this list or not, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.