Time To Say Goodbye

I've often been reminded that no one ever promised that life would be fair or easy. Which is probably for the best as it is riddled with unfairness, struggles, injustice, and sorrow. For every moment of joy, there is a moment of pain. For every moment of happiness that comes with with the first hello, there are the tears of the final goodbye. It's the balance of life.
It seems that no amount of experience or time ever softens the blow. Though I'm starting to understand that holding on to the happy memories rather than the sadness make the moments that follow a little easier. Knowing that the lessons learned and the impact made by that person will never be forgotten or taken for granted.
Goodbye will never be easy, so I'll hold on to the pieces I have and know that you're never really gone completely.

People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive. It is as though they were traveling abroad. ~Marcel Proust