7 years ago today I gently held your hands, caressed your forehead and temples, and assisted in birthing you into another dimension

In those moments I marveled at my courage

How deeply my challenges had primed me to stand firmly in the face of my biggest fear, which was created when I was a little girl—losing you

When I saw your Spirit leave your broken body, I felt relief in the end of your suffering

And I also felt the gaping hole in my chest as I let in the realization that you’d no longer be with me in this physical life

No more trips into the city for treatment as we silently (and talkatively) enjoyed each other’s energy

No more meals at Cheesecake Factory, appreciating each other, the food, and the always kind people who served us and doted on a young woman and her mom in a wheelchair

No more TV-watching together, whether it was Revenge or Wheel of Fortune

No more drives down to the waterfront to behold the magnificence of watered Nature

And yet I surrendered to this new phase of Life

This wild, Unchartered territory

And all the while my connection to you has deepened

As has my understanding of your own surrender while you were alive

In awe of your gratitude for all the blessings you knew you had

The love that flowed from every part of you

The bright kindness that greeted everyone

The giddy charm that oozed effortlessly from your tongue

Leaving me with the everlasting gift of being a witness to your powerful, Love-filled Life

✨💜💜✨

Picture circa 2006