F I N
The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but, you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. — Elizabeth Kubler-Ross & John Kessler
This project began as a way for me to cope with the loss of someone I deeply admired and cared for. Like many of us, I didn’t know him personally but I cared for the parts he was gracious enough to show us and when he left, I didn’t know how to put myself back together. So for the past 52 weeks, I gave myself the time to be with Kim Jonghyun and relearn who this wonderful man was. To remember his words, his smile, his voice, his laughter, his everything. He taught me the importance of love, kindness, forgiveness, and empathy, but along the way, I also learned a great deal about myself. He taught me that I was capable of more than what I expected and to be kind with myself when I made mistakes because life does get better. He gave me the strength to carry on. To laugh, to cry, and most importantly, to see his face and remember how he lived and not how he left.
52 weeks of edits.
52 weeks of growth.
52 weeks of tears, love, and acceptance.
And although this may be the last letter, this will not be the last of Kim Jonghyun, because I will continue to carry him with me for the rest of my life. I may no longer be broken, but I am different, and I am okay. You will be okay too. You have the strength and he believes in you.
Thank you for all the support, kindness, and patience. A special thanks to supernoona for allowing me to use and edit her photos, and thingsthathavebeensetfree and wordsbyjjong for being a great source of quotes. Please check them out as they are wonderful shawols, blingers, and human beings. I hope you all have a wonderful new year. You deserve it and do not accept anything less.
☾ poet | artist giveaway ☾
☾ the love letters ☾
