When people have not experienced losing a parent at a young age, there’s a lot about that kind of grief that they don’t understand.

They don’t understand that the grief is something you live with everyday, every month & every year.

It’s not just the initial heartbreaking moments, but it’s having to deal with constantly seeing so many other young people with dads & moms when you lost yours.

It’s having to wrestle with the fact that you’ll never see your parent again every Mother’s Day or every Father’s Day.

It’s the pain that hits you in the chest every time you hear the word mom or dad.

Or, whenever you hear other people talking about their parents.

It’s having to deal with the random memories that hit you throughout the day, when you’re able to remember them so clearly.

It’s having to face their absence every time you walk by their bedroom, or feeling the loss of their presence whenever you do something that you used to do together.

It’s not having them see all of your big accomplishments like graduating college, or creating a family, while everyone else’s parents gets to see theirs.

And instead, having to imagine how proud they would be of you for all you accomplished.

It’s your kids never having a grandparent, or your spouse never meeting your parent.

It’s not having that person in your life who would defend and fight for you against anybody, regardless of the time, day or place.

It’s having to experience so many moments on your own.

It’s losing someone who loved you more than even you could comprehend and someone who always saw you in the best light.

It’s losing the person who was most proud of you.

It’s losing your best cheerleader.

It’s losing the person who would do anything for you, and believed you could reach your goals more than anyone.

It’s hearing music that reminds you of them, and instantly being brought to tears.

It’s treasuring pictures and videos of them, and holding on to their smiles and laughs.

It’s spending days thinking back on and reliving all of the moments you spent together.

It’s trying to explain who they were to people who never knew them, but realizing there are no words that would truly capture the essence of their being.

It’s feeling like something was taken from you so unfairly and so untimely.

It’s having to deal with the fact that you have so much more life to live without them.

And have to endure so many more moments of pain because of that.

The grief you deal with from losing a parent at a young age, is an all the time, random moments, everyday thing, for the rest of your life.