After my dad died, I was sitting on the floor in his living room going through his wallet. Folded in half, I found a yellow post-it note with these words on it: “There is always – always – always something to be thankful for.” Even after he had died, my dad was showing me how to live my life.

James was a police officer and we used the word “Always” to let each other know we were safe. If I was traveling, he would tell me to be careful and I’d reply “Always.” If he was at work, and something was bad going on, I would get a text “Always.” When getting that text, I knew he was ok and would call or message when he could. It became our stability.

Please Come Home Safe — Always
Be Careful — Always
Let me know when you’re there — Always

I Love you Always JD, I Miss you Always

We were preparing for our upcoming wedding by attending a retreat out of town. It was February in Michigan and temperatures were extremely low. We were given the choice to stay at the center that was freezing cold or leave and come back the following day. We decided to leave and find a place to stay that had heat. Snow was coming down quickly and soon turned into a blizzard. Every hotel in town was booked, so we returned back to the center, only to find out that they had locked the doors for the night. We didn’t know what to do, so we decided that we could try to sleep in the car. Two adults in the backseat of a Dodge Neon is not very comfortable. We tried to cover up with whatever we could find in the backseat to keep warm. Magazines, newspapers, nothing seemed to do the trick. We just held each other tightly. Mostly for warmth, but also for comfort. I knew that as long as he was with me, I was safe and we could get through any situation. We often looked back on this story and laughed. It really was a good way to sum up our marriage. We went through hard times that would break most people and we got through it by staying together. We were a team.

My beautiful mom,

The day you died part of me died with you. Thank you for being our mom, our lives will never be the same. It’s hard for me to accept the fact that you’re gone. We’re broken, lost. I’m so sorry I couldn’t say goodbye. I’ll never forget your smile, your love, the funny things you would do to make me laugh. Thank you for being my mama. I will hold you in my heart until I can hold you in my arms again in heaven. I love you mom.

Rest in peace, we will love and miss you always,
Your daughter.

She brought us up well. Was fierce in her protection of all of us. We said goodbye together and will greet each other and her when we are together again. We miss you Mom, more than words can express.