Missing

Today would have been Angela’s 61st birthday. It would also have been our 11th wedding anniversary.

Needless to say, I miss her every single day, but dates like these have a way of bringing her absence into sharp focus. They quietly remind me of the life we should still have been sharing.

Over time, I’ve learned that I have a choice on days like today. I can become consumed by what we’ve lost, or I can gently turn my thoughts towards everything we were lucky enough to have.

So today, instead of dwelling on the years that were taken from us, I’m choosing to remember the years we were given. The adventures we shared, the ridiculous conversations, the laughter that often left us crying, the ordinary moments that turned out to be extraordinary simply because we were together.

Grief never really leaves us. It changes shape and becomes part of who we are. But alongside the sadness sits an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I was fortunate enough to love, and to be loved, by someone truly special.