Just checking in.  Sometimes I’m not sure whether to keep this page or not.  It really depends on how many swing by.

But yes, I just passed the one year mark.

The truth is, the first year has been not as hard as I thought.  Certainly I miss my mother and have bouts of tears that hit whenever they so decide.  But at the same time I know she knows the Lord, she is with Him, and I’ll see her soon.  People say the second year is the hardest.  We’ll see.

The truth is, it has been hard already.  Mainly because the matters of houses and finances and headstones are not settled.  There’s issues over who pays for what.  And it’s not just the immediate family.  It’s the -in-laws of different types that seem to have the most vocal voice and they can, legally speaking.  It is tough.

The last few weeks I’ve cried buckets of tears.  Just so many things.

Here’s a tip for you.

When you are deciding on how to do inheritance things, tell your family up front.  Give one person property and the other person cash.  Don’t make them shared on assets or it is really tough, especially if there are marriages involved.   Because legally the other people have a very strong voice both personally and legally.

It’s hard.  A lot of things are hard.

You just sometimes want to grieve and move forward.  But it’s not that simple.

In the meantime, when I think of mom, I never realized how much stability she brought to my life.  She was an anchor.  A foundation.  And a safe place when things were hard.  That’s not there anymore.  And I’m feeling that very acutely.

Those we love bless us with more than we will ever  know or understand.