The Grief Road: Five Years

Today is the day 5 years ago

my Bri went home to be with

Jesus.

As I sit here to ponder some on the day my daughter Bri went home to heaven. The thoughts are many on these anniversary days. As a mom who never had thoughts previous to 5 years ago of what a day would look like without her children. Here I sit today thinking about life since my girls are no longer on this earth with me.

Everything in my journey changed, your children are a part of your every day as a parent. How do we deal with this after the loss has settled and now we have all the anniversaries, birthdays & holidays that we must endure?

First of all, I must say it is not easy and I won't ever say it is nor do I ever see it being easy. It's all about learning to live with this kind of loss. I have made it to today by trusting in Jesus to help me get here. I just received a text message saying how Bri was so missed and one-of-a-kind. Those kinds of messages help grieving parents make it to the next moment on days like this. As grieving parents, we can tell you at almost any moment that 365 days times 5 is a lot of days to endure. When there are moments we don't think we can endure 1 day. But moment by moment and day by day we make it. I am here today. I wish I could write to you about what I miss the most although that's not possible because I miss everything about my daughter Bri. She was special to our journey because she was our chosen daughter, we weren't her biological parents but we were her parents and she was ours. Bri was quite a character and would keep us laughing many, many times over so many things. Loving Bri was a love that was special in so many ways. I find today that my thoughts are more than my words, although I wanted to write today because I think it's so important as we journey down this grief road to write on the days that my grief is raw and in real-time to help others as they are traveling in raw and real-time. As I ponder today I do have joy in my heart. The joy comes from the hope I have knowing that one day I won't have these anniversaries anymore to deal with. For now, I must endure this road and you who have lost your children you must endure it as well. I will forever hold Bri tight within my heart and thank the Lord for the treasure she was and so thankful that we were the ones He chose to be Bri's parents while she was here on earth.

In loving memory of Brianna.

Those Who Died in Christ (1Thessalonians 4:13-18 AMP)

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep (in death), so that you will not grieve (for them) as the others do who have no hope (beyond this present life). For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again (as in fact He did), even so, God (in this same way- by raising them from the dead) will bring with Him those (believers) who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For we say this to you by the Lord's (own) word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede ( into His presence) those (believers) who have fallen asleep (in death) For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the (blast of the) trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain (on the earth) will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them (the resurrected ones) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words (concerning our reunion with believers who have died).