Losing a parent is a different kind of grief, the loss of a monumental element in a person’s life that can feel like the sun falling out of the sky. Or, perhaps the relationship was estranged which lends itself to a more complicated grief, laced through with personal hurt, confusion and even guilt. Wherever you are, please know that you are not alone.
Healing from the loss of a parent isn’t linear. There is not a set time frame that you must follow to heal from grief and loss. Take the time and space you need to step into this new phase of life. The following are quotes from individuals who have walked the lonely walk of losing a parent and understand how dark it can feel on that journey.
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General Quotes About Grief & Loss
- “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.” –Helen Keller
- “If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.” –Winnie the Pooh
- “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” –Maya Angelou
- “Love has no age, no limit; and no death.” –John Galsworthy
- “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” –Mahatma Gandhi
- “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and unspeakable love.” –Washington Irving
- “Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.” –José N. Harris
- “Grief is like the ocean, it comes in waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” –Vicki Harrison
- “Grief and love are conjoined, you don’t get one without the other. All I can do is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy.” –Jandy Nelson
- “I knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. You didn’t get past something like that, you got through it.” –Jodi Picoult
- “In Vietnamese, the word for missing someone and remembering them is the same: nhớ.” –Ocean Vuong
- “Those we love and lose are always connected by heartstrings into infinity.” –Terri Guillemets
- “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk in my own garden forever.” –Alfred Tennyson
- “Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.” –C.S. Lewis
- “Grief and love are conjoined, you don’t get one without the other.” –Jandy Nelson
Quotes About the Death of a Mother
- “I chose not to lose my mom, and instead to gain an angel. In my mind, my heart, and my life, she is still completely present to this day — and as wise, compassionate and stubborn as ever.” –Kevin Hart – I Can’t Make This Up
- “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” –Abraham Lincoln
- “Love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. To have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.” –J.K. Rowling
- “The mother memories that are closest to my heart are the small gentle ones that I have carried over from the days of my childhood. They are not profound, but they have stayed with me through life, and when I am very old, they will still be near.” –Margaret Sanger
- “There is something about losing a mother that is permanent and inexpressible—a wound that will never quite heal.” –Susan Wiggs
- “Mothers hold their children’s hands for a while, but their hearts forever.” –Unknown
- “A mother understands what a child does not say.” –Jewish Proverb
- “My mother had a slender, small body, but a large heart – a heart so large that everybody’s joys found welcome in it, and hospitable accommodation.” –Mark Twain
- “Mom, I am missing you today but I know that you will always be with me in my heart… I am who I am because of your loving hands. I have my sweet and compassionate soul from watching you and your generosity and kindness to others. I see the world full of wonder because of your imagination. I’ve learned to never give up seeing your drive and perseverance… I love you always and forever…” –Karen Kostyla
- “A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.” –Irish Proverb
- “There is no death, daughter. People only die when we forget them,’ my mother explained shortly before she left me. ‘If you can remember me, I will be with you always.’” –Isabel Allende
- “Mothers never really die, they just keep the house up in the sky. They polish the sun by day and light the stars that shine at night, keep the moonbeams silvery bright and in the heavenly home above they wait to welcome those they love.” –Helen Steiner Rice
Healing from a Loss Can Take Many Years.
You don’t have to deal with grief on your own. BetterHelp has over 30,000 licensed therapists who provide convenient and affordable online therapy. BetterHelp starts at $65 per week and is FSA/HSA eligible by most providers. Take a free online assessment and get matched with the right therapist for you.
Quotes About the Death of a Father
- “If you love your dad, it’s tough when he dies. If you don’t like your dad, it’s tough when he dies. Because you lose that guy. Whatever you didn’t get, you miss. And what you did get, you miss.” –Jimmy Iovine
- “It doesn’t matter who my father was; It matters who I remember he was.” –Anne Sexton
- “So many gifts her father gave her, so she should not be surprised they continued to be given, even in the moment of his dying….The gifts of patience, perspective, and detachment. The gifts of silence, irrelevance, and joy.” –Sheila Heti, Pure Colour
- “There is no expiration date on the love between a father and his child.” –Jennifer Williamson
- “Your father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways.” –Wes Moore
Quotes About Losing Parents
- “Hold dear to your parents for it is a scary and confusing world without them.” –Emily Dickinson
- “Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.” –Eskimo Legend
- “No matter how prepared you think you are for the death of a loved one, it still comes as a shock, and it still hurts very deeply.” –Billy Graham
- “I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought, and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories. We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their love.” –Leo Buscaglia
- “Losing people you love affects you. It is buried inside of you and becomes this big, deep hole of ache. It doesn’t magically go away, even when you stop officially mourning.” –Carrie Jones
- “Losing a parent is something like driving through a plate-glass window. You didn’t know it was there until it shattered, and then for years to come you’re picking up the pieces — down to the last glassy splinter.” –Saul Bellow
- “I miss having you share the feelings that linger deep within my soul; there is emptiness there where you once were. I miss you saying, ‘This is my daughter’ and the look of pride you held with each word spoken.” –Millie P. Lorenz
- “Never. We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don’t disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms.” –Paulo Coelho
Talking to a Grief Counselor
Losing a parent can be incredibly painful. If you’re having trouble processing your grief, consider reaching out to a grief counselor who can help you understand what you’re dealing with and can help you move forward while still recognizing what you’ve lost. You can start finding a therapist by asking for a referral from your primary care provider or a trusted loved one, or by using an online therapist directory.
Grief Therapy: How It Works, What It Costs, & What to Expect
Grief therapy can be helpful for anyone who is finding their grief is negatively impacting their ability to function in their day-to-day. It also provides a safe, non-judgmental place to explore, unpack, work through, better manage, and potentially find meaning in their grief. If you need help dealing with your loss, a mental health professional is an excellent resource to connect with to recover and heal from your loss.
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