When you died, the whole world did not mourn you.

You were not a celebrity, a world leader, and didn’t make the nightly news. You didn’t invent things that changed the world and will not end up in history books. But you made an indelible mark in our lives and in our hearts.

You meant the world to us.

You are our spouses, mothers and fathers; our grandparents, sisters and brothers. Our favorite aunts and uncles and cherished cousins and friends. You are our children; who may have only lived a few precious years or never even lived to take your first breath.

Long after the funeral is over – long after the rest of our world appears to have forgotten you – you stay fresh in our minds. We think of you in the quiet moments. When your favorite song comes on. Or when we see something we think you’d have liked…or hated. We think of how you’re missing from the special occasions in our lives. In our times of sorrow, we wish you were here to give us the hug and reassurance we desperately need from you.

We think of you.

Your legacy is not that of the job you held or the number of houses or cars you owned. It doesn’t matter how much money you made or how much influence you had in your community. Your legacy is that of tender moments and loving embraces. It is how wonderful and important you made us feel while you were with us. It is the smiles you put on our faces and the laughter we shared. Even if we never got the chance to hold you.

You mattered to us.

Your body died, but you live on in our memories. You live in the sparkle of our eyes every time we speak your name or hold you in our hearts. There will never be a time when we don’t remember you.

We miss you and love you.

We are the keepers of your flame.