Fourth of July Without Mom

I knew the first holiday without Mom being here would be hard for me and my family. I just never truly realized how tough it would be. We had the normal things, hamburgers and hotdogs roasted on a grill, chips, and drinks. Watermelon and a family gathering, complete with sisters, in-laws, nieces and nephews and the greats. Somehow it just wasn’t the same. The Fourth of July was probably the second favorite of Mom’s holiday celebrations. She loved the seeing the colorful fireworks lighting up the night sky, seeing the huge bursts of vivid color blossom above our heads.. She loved the excitement of the little kids, hearing the oohs and ahhs from kids of every age, be they 5 or 50. This year she missed all that, and we missed her. The family that was recently brought together by grief, tonight, was once again brought together by love. Love for her, and hopefully for each other. Tonight was in memory of Mom. We love you. Me miss you. And I hope the view of our fireworks were even brighter in Heaven.