Keep Your Loves Alive

The Movie COCO had a huge impact on me. It was a beautiful story of a boy who had no other choice but to follow his passion. Before I saw the movie I thought Dia de Los Muertos was the Mexican version of Halloween. I had no idea the true meaning of the holiday. What beautiful sentiment.

Grieving for someone you’ve loved and lost is a difficult process. Someone I cared deeply about died suddenly three years ago and I’m just now reemerging from the pain. It’s been a journey but I am finally at peace. There have been some beautiful signs along the way that he’s still with me and always will be. I now know I will never be lonely because I’m not alone. My heart is filled with a love that doesn’t die.

Once we grieve and move on with our lives the pain subsides little by little and sometimes so do the memories. I think I was holding onto my pain because it was the last thing I had from a life that touched mine like no other. I finally trust that moving on doesn’t mean leaving our loved ones behind.

I believe it’s important to remember all the lives that have touched yours. It doesn’t have to be the love of your life. It could be your favorite elementary school teacher. A neighbor. Or maybe not even someone you met. Was there book you read that changed your life forever? Give the writer a shout out now and then.

My takeaway from Coco was how important it is to consistently honor those who have gone before us. I now keep a list of those who touched my life and every day I literally say the names of each and every one. It includes relatives, friends who didn’t make it out of the 90s, people from my childhood and, yes, even Whitney Houston and Judy Garland. Coco may have been a “kids movie” but it had definitely made me a better adult. Don’t forget to keep your loves alive.