In Grief: My First Big Day Without My Mother

You know the real meaning of celebrating a birthday if you remember the sacrifice of giving birth by your mother.  ~ Elmitch Alarcio

A reader writes: My Mom's 79th birthday happens this week, and this will be my first big "day" without her. She died last winter and at first I truly didn't think I would be able to go on. As time has started to pass, I am functioning but some days are much harder than others. I always find myself reliving the day she died and I'm grateful I was there with her but still find myself focusing on those memories instead of happy ones. I had one dream in which she was there and I was hugging her and crying and telling her how afraid I was to lose her and how I didn't know how I could live the rest of my life without my Mom (I'm 37). That's the only dream I've had even though I pray each night for some sign from her. Now it's her birthday......

Understanding and Managing Grief, October 28 - November 3, 2018

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

If You Grieve in Private, Science Says You’re Doing It Right,  http://j.mp/2EXlAmB « Healthline

A statement from my family about my late father, Charles Krauthammer,
http://j.mp/2F99Hd8 « Daniel Krauthammer on Twitter

Moved me to tears: "I can assure you you have never seen the Star-Spangled Banner performed like this before," http://j.mp/2EX1uJb « Timothy Burke on Twitter