hello...

I am coming up om my oldest daughter's 18th birthday. She died a year and a half ago. The way I got through the first one without her was thinking about what that day meant to me. It was the day I became a mom. I wouldn't trade that for the world. So it's still a celebration.

I miss her terribly, and as you our family ( my husband other daughter and I) have lost so much life enthusiasm. It is a struggle to get out of bed every day. It is so easy for people to say, " Well, you made it through the first year. Things should be better now." How do you explain to them that in many ways it's harder.

Just keep going, one step at a time. I am right there with you. And find a way to celebrate the fact that this is the day you became a mom!

Betsey