I hope there is a Heaven, and that we shall see those we loved again. But if this life is the sum-total of our existence, then those who pass away live on in the hearts and souls of those who loved them and whom they loved. When we need them, if we listen closely, their voices lie within us.

We are the accumulation of the events and people who influenced our lives. I'm reminded of lines from a Bruce Cockburn song

We get bigger as we go
Bales of memory like boats in tow