It was nine years ago Friday that Mom died.
I still can’t believe that nine years have gone by– it feels like she was just here and yet I know she wasn’t because so much has changed. I had four different dogs nine years ago (I have three now– I know that statement might confuse someone and think I have four). Greg and I weren’t married yet. Chelle Summer had yet to be created.
We were in San Diego Friday and it was a good day. We hit five estate sales and I found some great stuff at two. I’d like to think that it was Mom guiding me to the items or placing them in my path. And despite the many washed out beaches, we did get some beach time (on a rocky beach, no less) with a clear sky filled with sunshine. And we spent dinner with Mom’s cousin Pat and her husband Lee, eating Italian Beef sandwiches which Mom would have approved of.
Death anniversaries can be complicated, especially in the first years or the significant anniversary ones– five, ten, fifteen, etc. I never know how I’ll feel for them, but with Denise being gone thirty years this year, I was wrapped up in that and didn’t really dwell on the nine Mom is gone that hit the next week.
Maybe next year will be different when it’s ten, but I am grateful for a good day. While I was too busy to think much about her, it really is about the days she had with us, not how or when she left us. Still when I reflect back on Friday, it feels like she was part of the day, a day she would have enjoyed. Or perhaps she was enjoying it right along with us.