Remembering Mommy
I finally got around to posting some pictures from the last few weeks. I wanted to give you some images that I took on Sept 23rd as we remember the passing of Misty last year. In the midst of a very difficult day for many, we had what was truly a beautiful time that I think Olivia will appreciate forever.
She and I visited Mommy in the cemetery. Olivia picked out pink roses…pink is her favorite. Whenever we visit, she always leans over and touches the stone engraved image of Mommy’s face. This is usually where my eyes well up as she tells Misty how she misses her and that she loves her. This particular visit, I also found myself listening to a story of how she wants to go camping in the snow with Mommy.
We also spent some time on the beach with a few members of the family. We released butterflies as a memory of Misty. Olivia then chased the butterflies for 20 minutes from the edge of the waves up to the dunes. It was a rainy day, so we didn’t have much competition for the beach…which was nice.
Probably the best part of the day for my little lady was being able to write on a balloon and send it up to heaven. She knew this was coming and had been talking about it for days. Olivia had some nice things to say, which I helped her write, then she let the helium filled message carrier fly out over the ocean and up to heaven. I was kinda amazed seeing a 2 year old standing there watching them fly away…in an almost somber respect.
She doesn’t grieve the same way that you or I do, but she gets it. And the simple fact that she does get it hasn’t always been easy for me. Shortly after Misty died, I found it difficult to accept the pain Olivia would walk through for the rest of her life…just wondering what her Mommy was like and wishing she could be with her. That still hurts me. The words on this computer screen are getting blurry as my eyes fill with tears for that. I can’t say it will ever be easy. But one thing that I do believe that God has spoken to me very clearly about is that just as I can sit here today and tell you I am a different person because of Misty, well…I believe Olivia will be able to say that as well. Just as you have been impacted by Misty’s faith, so will Olivia. And while it’s painful for her to walk through life with this, I have an unshakable confidence that she will be a stronger person than you or I can imagine. Suffering changes people. It’s generally up to us whether or not it will be for the better or for the worse. For me, I am better. For Olivia…it will be the same.
