My wonderful brother Johnny died three years ago on April 11, 2020 because he was not protected as he should have been. The nursing home accepted him for short term rehabilitation following surgery and never warned us that there was a good amount of Covid in the facility. I wish we had been informed.

Johnny and I, on most days, believed that there is a world beyond this world where love lives eternally. I hope that Johnny and all the others lost during the Pandemic find eternal peace and understanding. I have found that losing Johnny did not end our relationship as siblings.

Mom was known for talking for hours. I always called to wish her a happy Easter right before mass. It was the only way to have a quick conversation because she would not miss church on Easter Sunday.

Three years ago today, on April 9, 2020, our granddaughter Penelope Jude was born. I wasn’t allowed to be in the hospital to see her nor allowed to visit you. I called you with the good news: Hang in there Mike. When you get home we can sit outside and see Mary with her new family. Little did I know what was about to happen in five days.

Everyone now knows and identifies my mom not only by her name but by the tiara and sash that was a must on her big day … her birthday. Through her story that I’ve shared for almost three years, people now know she had a strong faith and shared it with everyone she came into contact with. I lived it and saw it for myself–she planted the seed in my siblings and me at a young age.

We grew up in a strict Christian household. This year, her big day falls on a special day, a holy day, and it’s bittersweet. As our family gathers as we do every year on Easter to eat, hunt eggs, and most importantly celebrate the resurrection of Christ, there will still be a void. I won’t be buying a tiara and sash for my mom to wear on the big day. I won’t see her at the table eating with us and smiling as the kids hunt eggs in the front yard.

I’m starting to feel the last birthday, Mother’s Day, and the anniversary of my mom’s passing creeping up. I’m bracing for it. I try to keep busy, but my body feels it. I’ve thought about how to celebrate her on this special holy day. Our family will already be together for Easter, so we will celebrate mom and Christ on the same day. Yellow napkins and flowers to decorate the table. We will all write little notes to Heaven and tie them to a yellow heart balloon. The hardest part is letting go.

Mom, I hope you enjoy reading every little love note we send you when we release our balloons on your birthday …

Our German grandmother always lived with my brother and I. Weeks before Easter, she would blow out the contents of many eggs and dry them out to get them ready to paint. My brother and I loved painting the eggs so colorfully and then tying them to bushes with ribbons in our backyard. We had a lot of help doing this and we got more paint on our clothes than on the eggs. Many times small branches were put in a vase indoors with painted eggs tied with ribbons. Our parents helped with this annual Easter family event. The colorful eggs were so festive and represented new life.

It is so sad and painful that Johnny died of Covid on the eve of Easter.