“Dear Mom, your birthday just passed, and it was so surreal to think about it. It felt like good…”

Dear Mom, your birthday just passed, and it was so surreal to think about it. It felt like good timing - a chance to celebrate your beautiful life just a couple months after your death... But it was also really hard. I had to be friendly & welcoming & social, and I was really struggling, I miss you. I miss calling you on my walk home, just talking about nothing. I hate that you're missing so much. I wish you had gone to the doctor sooner - I wish I had more time with you. I feel like there are so many ways I thought our relationship would change and grow as we got older. I'm heartbroken. But, just like you used to do, I'm lighting a candle for you, and keeping you close. Missing you - your first princess