"No one you love is ever truly lost."- Ernest Hemingway

               One last lecture topic that peaked my interest and challenged me to think deeply about was the introduction to Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants. Professor Brady began the introduction lecture by providing us with the beautiful quote previously stated in the title. At first, it was hard for me to define what Hemingway might have meant when he had stated those words but after deeply thinking (and Prof. Brady's consistent inquiry for our insight) and repeating the words inside my head, I drew a few conclusions.
               There are many ways in life that you can 'lose' somebody (although some say you can never truly 'have' anybody) and some may be more painful than others and some may be equally as painful. Regardless of how or why, the loss of a loved one is never easy, nor does it get easier. The most important thing to remember, and to ensure we do not completely break ourselves in the grieving process, is that no one is never truly lost; and I think that is what Hemingway was trying to tell us. Whether it was a mother or father, or a grandparent or uncle, or maybe a sibling or a child, or maybe a significant other or even a beloved pet, the live forever in our hearts, in our minds, and in our souls. They cease to exist only when we let them. It's not a question of immortality by physical means, but it is a fact of immortality through the powers of the human mind; the powers that we are capable of that extend well beyond our cognizance.
               We can lose others in more ways than one; whether it be death or another means of separation. There is a reason that profound people will tell you that a detrimental form of separation other than death can almost feel like a death, and the grieving and coping process is extremely similar. The idea of losing anyone is extremely painful and poignant; a pain that can is both emotional and physical. When a person is loved, and I mean truly loved by the whole heart of the individual who loves them, whether they separate through means of a break up or by means of distance or even death; any form of an end to communication does not mean the end of everything. That person, near or far, dead or alive, lives on through memories and through our spirits. Each and every person, whether they believed they have (or had) a purpose, leaves an ineradicable footprint on this earth and in the lives and hearts of those they touch-- and that makes all the difference.

               This lecture touched my heart because I recently lost my grandfather who passed away last summer. This enlightened me to remember that although he is gone physically, he will always be with me in spirit and in memories and as long as I never forget him and keep him alive in my own way and tell stories of him, I will never truly lose him and he will always find a way to be with me.

R.I.P Salvatore Buccella, beloved husband, father, and grandfather.