By Nathan Rice

The cashier placed my two new shirts in a bag, handed me a receipt and wished me a good evening. I proceeded to the nearest exit, which took me through the boys clothing section. A clothing rack to my right prominently placed a shirt on display. The shirt was very familiar. The design was one Johnathan used to wear. This caused the primary purpose of my trip to fail. I was no longer distracted. Instead, I was reminded of the realities of life.

The shirt was there, but the boy behind the shirt was gone forever. I stopped in the aisle and hung my head, and the tears I was hoping to avoid began to flow. I attempted to control my emotions as I walked out of the store.

A good friend’s house was only a few miles away from the store. Two right turns and a left turn would get me there in about five minutes. She was more family than a friend, and her house was the perfect place to go after a rough visit to a store. Unfortunately, cancer took her from this world several years ago, and the home I wanted to visit was now just a house filled with strangers.

The world seemed a little darker than normal as I drove home. My heart was beating, but it felt as though pieces were missing. I know nearly everyone can relate to this feeling. Most of us have lost people we love during this journey we call life.

Those of us who have lost people we love are going through our lives with parts of our hearts missing, and there are times it is difficult. It can be hard to move forward when it feels as if we are missing a piece of our hearts, but we must continue to live our lives.

The first part of moving forward is to accept that life will not be the same. This is hard, and it brings grief. A time of mourning is helpful, but there is a danger that we can get so caught up in the past, wishing that things were still the same, that we miss out on the good things before us and we lose the opportunity to enjoy the things we still have.

The next thing is to realize that moving forward does not mean that the people we have lost along the way have been forgotten. We carry on their memories, and the impression they made in our lives does not leave when they do. We are continuing the impact of their lives through our lives. Moving forward with our lives doesn’t diminish the lives of those we have lost. Rather, it enhances them as we continue their legacy.

We should also give thanks for the time we had with the people we love, even if that time was cut short. I have asked myself if I’d do it all again, knowing the pain that comes with loss. The answer is a resounding yes! Yes, I’d love them again. I’d give each of them a piece of my heart again. I’d allow them to become family again. I will always miss them, and I know there will always be a void in my life without them, but I would not give up the time we had together, even if it meant I didn’t have to go through the pain of losing them.

Lastly, but most importantly, I have a hope that comes from the Creator Himself. I know one day He will wipe away every tear and there will be no more loss or pain. One day, in His time, He will make everything right again.

I wish they were still here, but there is no way to change what has happened. I’ll always miss them, but I know the impact they made on my life will not fade. I will move forward in my life, always carrying their memory and being grateful for every moment we had together.

Nathan Rice is a Hampton Roads native and can be reached at nrice@abnb.org.