You're stronger than any test, paper due, breakup, money issue, or any battle you're facing. Keep your head up. Death is a thief in the night. It steals from us without warning or explanation. It takes treasures we'll never replace. It steals memories, moments and expectations we spend our entire lives compiling neatly in our minds for safe keeping, only to find out they were never really safe at all. It steals wedding dances, graduation seats, much-needed advice, perfectly timed laughter, warm hugs and arms wrapped around new babies who deserve to meet their whole families. It can steal everything. Death can take an unfinished life and make it finished. It's unfair. It's brutally, painfully and sinfully unfair. There are so many unanswered questions about why bad things happen to good people. There are a plethora of feelings and emotions to work through, and often the scars of those battles never really go away. I want you to know I understand that. Everyone who loves you understands that. Everyone who has been through this understands even more. And no matter how much time passes, any way you feel is justified and meaningful. It's okay to be absolutely livid. You can be mad. It's okay to feel cheated and betrayed. It's okay to let your blood boil and feel authentic rage from the injustice your loved one was served, and from the injustice everyone was served by losing a person they were supposed to have for a long time. It's okay to be devastated too. It's okay to be broken. It's okay to take to your time. It's okay to question everything. It's okay to cry and yell and lock yourself in your room when you need to. It's okay to never stop feeling that sadness in many ways. What's most difficult to realize is that it's also okay to find joy again. It's normal to feel guilty as you move on through life when someone else does not, but they wouldn't want you to hold back. You'll inevitably feel pressure to act or respond a certain way, but you don't have to do anything. There's no right or wrong way to handle something so perplexing and earth shattering as the loss of a life. There will always be good days and bad days. There will be moments where you'll feel strong and accepting, and others where you simply won't. I want you to know I'm here for them now, and I'll be there for all of them. To everyone who's lost someone too soon, know that you are not alone in your struggle in this life. Loss happens more often than you may realize, and you're surrounded by lifeguards who are ready to jump in when you need them to. There is no ocean of grief vast enough to combat the power of love. The love around you, the love in your heart and the love of the people watching over you from above, will always be strong enough to bring you back to shore.
