

Rarely has a declaration of love been made so plainly as this quote from Season 2, Episode 5.

But Derek, I love you, in a really, really big 'pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window,' unfortunate way that makes me hate you. This Season 9, Episode 1 quote perfectly embodies theses feelings of loss, as well as the bittersweet memories that accompany them. The writers of Grey’s Anatomy have always excelled when it comes to twisting the knife, killing off beloved characters such as Mark Sloan, Lexie Grey, George O’Malley and, of course, Derek Shepherd. Grief isn't something that people get over, so much as something that they eventually learn to live with. While we find ways to survive the unbearable pain, there are pieces of that loved one that will never truly die, because we carry them with us for the rest of our lives. Anyone who’s been through this knows that death is, indeed, hardest on the living. If you live long enough, you will eventually have to suffer the loss of someone you love. Things to remember us by even when we're gone. A lifetime of memories, photos, trinkets.

We leave little bits of ourselves behind, little reminders.
