How to honor a friend who has passed?

[MNL_1221]

My condolences on such a sudden and horrific loss. I'm sorry this happened to you--and to your friend.

To a degree, you have already honored him by talking about him to us. You have shown that he is important to you. Now, if you have a Facebook page, you could post a message to honor him there. You could also post something on his FB page. I like the idea of the horseshoe and roses on his grave. I'm not great on tattoos, but if you want to, go ahead. My nieces and nephews tattooed the name of their mother (my sister) on their wrists after she died. (You might wait a month or two to see if you really want to tattoo yourself.)

I had a friend in my adolescence whom I'd then drifted from. When I started searching for him, I found out he'd died of AIDS. I visited his grave three times that year, and I made a panel for him for the AIDS Quilt.

You might contact a group that deals with suicides or survivors of suicides, or another type of grief counseling group. This will help you to deal.

You might also write a poem or short story about him, or create a website about him, or donate to a charity he'd like in his honor. At Christmas, you might donate a toy--maybe a cowboy outfit or a Woody doll--to a charity in his honor. My sister was a cheerleader, and I donated a cheerleader doll to a charity at Christmastime.

You can also talk to him--yes, get alone in your room, "sit" him in an empty chair opposite you, and tell him everything you wanted to tell him. You can also pray to God, sharing with Him what you're going through. You can also pray for your friend and for his survivors.

God bless you very much!