"When loved ones die, you have to live on their behalf. See things as though with their eyes. Remember how they used to say things, and use the words oneself. Be thankful that you can do things that they cannot and also feel the sadness of it." - "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" (Louis de Bernieres).
This is such a moving book and these words, especially, resonate with me. As a funeral celebrant, I often use the following in my ceremonies:
"For those we love still live on in our hearts; in the happiness we knew and in the dreams we shared. They still speak in the echoes of familiar words we’ve heard them say so often. Their memory is warm in our hearts; their memory is comfort in our sorrow."
Our loved ones do live on in our hearts, as all the memories are part of the fabric of our own lives. It doesn't stop us "feeling the sadness of it", but gives us the strength to move forward.
Today I shall be mostly listening to Frank Sinatra, whose music ("Come Fly With Me") has been chosen for a ceremony next week...
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