One Year...And A Day Since We Lost Her

 Yesterday was the one year anniversary...exactly one year since our sister left us. My family gathered at the cemetery (where my parents's graves are also there...) and held a memorial. Unfortunately, me and my immediate family were unable to attend. Like last year, they released lanterns in her honor. I'm sure, like last year, they watched the ascend and wished they weren't there.

Even though yesterday was the anniversary of her passing, today is an anniversary as well. Today is the anniversary of those left behind having to face a life without her, without her laugh, without her wit, without her spirit. Ever since I was two and a half years old I awoke to a world exactly a year ago today without my sister.

Though hard on my brother and I and our families, it's most difficult for my sister's husband, her children, and her grandchildren. I know what it's like to lose a mother, but I lost her when I was in my forties, not my twenties. She was their rock, their world. 

I don't know if the family will gather each year on the anniversary of the passing. Traditions can be wonderful things to help heal, and to remember her memory. If they do, I hope to be a part of it.