Remembering Together - 2 years on

The threat of COVID is winding down in our family as we all get vaccinated. After being separated last year, we were all happy to be able to get together in Florida.

Well, as happy as you can be when you have such an awful occasion to commemorate.

For me, being so separate from the family last year was dreadful. I was grieving, lonely, bored and so so angry that Rebecca had gotten sick and died. Another year like that would have driven me to even darker places.

It turns out that grieving in a family, or a community, is helpful! Knowing that if I get upset, everyone around me understands why. If I tear up at a song, my sisters do too. If I comment on what Becks would have said, my brother can help me finish the imaginary conversation with her. It’s soothing not to have to explain yourself or your emotions to the only other people who have lost a sibling in Rebecca.

Hannah organized a lovely beach picnic on Sanibel. We toasted our girl with prosecco, then the good stuff (real champagne!). The kids played in the water and danced to the music coming from nearby boats. Rebecca would have been right in there with them.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.