The first of many without her

Today should be a happy day. It should be a day filled with smiles and celebration. There should be a party to attend, with a guest of honor who is being showered with gifts. We should be eating dinner at her favorite restaurant, and preparing for the birthday weekend tradition that we started for her last year. There should be candles on a cake, and wishes being made. She should be surrounded by family and friends, enjoying the first day of the next year of her life.

Today would have been my mom’s 62nd birthday. If you ask me, 61 birthdays aren’t enough. She should still be here. She should be able to do all of the things that she loved: Watching her grandchildren grow, taking cruises, visiting new cities, shopping on QVC, making chocolates, sewing blankets, taking pictures, finishing the book she was reading, adding to her many collections, drinking Pepsi, watching new movies, picking wildflowers, listening to Chris LeDoux, going to yard sales, eating pretzels, spending time with her children, visiting her dad, playing with her dogs, going to lunch with her best friend.

Today my heart is heavy.

Happy Birthday mom! I love you, and miss you everyday.