One year anniversary

[KerryToo]

I've been through this before - the 1 year anniversary of losing a very beloved family member to this disease that is so, so difficult. Actually, when I lost my wonderful Dad to NSCLC - the anniversary that was so tough for me was the day that I KNEW I was saying "goodbye". I live in a different state so there was that ONE day when I knew this was the last day I would see my Dad - that was Sept. 11, 2000 (1 year prior to the attacks). He passed peacefully in November, but I was not there on that day.

So when the anniversary of that last day I hugged and kissed my father came, I wanted it to just pass, just be "another day" - but it wasn't. Sept. 11, 2001 became a horrible, terrible day in our Nation's history - so my anniversary of pain would be FOREVER, drilled into my brain...for the rest of my life! I grieve for my Dad, but also for all the families that lost so much on that day.

Now I face the 1 year anniversary of the death of my beloved Mother In Law, Ingrid. October 6 will be 1 year since we lost our "Oma". The cold, crisp air of Fall reminds me of our loss so much. I know that this 1st anniversary is especially hard - and I don't want to go through this again. Grrr.... I am grieving all of my loses to cancer so much!

[kimblanchard]

I am sorry you are dealing with so much right now.

At least 9/11 is a day we are all sad; I have a friend who lost her mother on July 4, and she wants to grieve, and the whole $%&^& country is setting off firecrackers and trying to celebrate. So I guess it could be worse. But that is plenty bad.

I am trying to figure out what to do when so many of our firsts happen around Christmas time. It will be our first Christmas without Becky, and our anniversary is 12/29, and her birthday is 1/8. I am trying to decide how to spend those two weeks that were always so special to us.

Curtis