A year and a day
Like most sayings - Time Heals All Wounds - is rooted in truth. Although my emotions are not nearly as raw as they were a year ago, the feeling today is as surreal as the day I watched my father pass away.
My cousin, who experienced the devastating loss of her younger sister, was my pillar a year ago. She gave me such sage and sound advice, not the least of which included, to not turn special days into miserable ones. To put it bluntly, she said, "He was dead yesterday, he is dead today and he will be dead tomorrow." This helped me tremendously in getting through this year of "firsts".
I don't want to create some sort of sick anniversary to commemorate his death. I think of him daily, not just on birthdays, New Years Day or the day he died. Friends and family, with the best of intentions, called, emailed and spoke about "it" - the elephant in the living room - yesterday, while others looked at us, painfully - without comment. I spent the day repeating my cousin's words, like a mantra...
So, I made it through. We all did. Three hundred and sixty-five days.
Okay, we've proven we can do it. Now, just bring him back...
I miss you dad.
yerdotter