“As we approached the cemetery, I unexpectedly started crying. I’d spent so many painful, isolating days here. I hated this place. It had become a prison within my mind. The emotion hit me, and Shelly grabbed my hand. It took time for us to find Dana’s grave. I started to feel panicked, surprised I had lost the ability to walk right to it. Shelly gave me a big hug as I was, once again, overcome with emotion. I felt a sense of freedom, finally at peace.”
‘We found her gravesite. ‘Do you want time alone?’ I was overcome with emotion. ‘I want you with me.’: Widow finally feels ‘peace’ visiting late fiancee’s grave 30 years after fatal car accident
‘Help me get daddy out!,’ she begged. ‘He won’t like being dirty.’ I took her to see his grave. She started digging up the dirt, crying her little heart out. We sobbed until we had no more tears to cry.’
“She was 3. That was the last time I took her to his grave. She told me her ‘heart hurt too’ much and she didn’t want to go back. She asks if our family can die and ‘be a star in the sky with daddy.’ I go straight into Mommy mode and reassure her we can’t be stars. It’s not our time.”
‘I pictured a perfect Christmas. I was pregnant with triplets and expected a chaotic holiday. But reality set in more than 4 months prior to my due date.’
“As my husband and I decorated our tree, the tears trickled onto the pine needles. I hung an ornament with the words ‘Baby’s First Christmas’ stretched across. Suddenly it hit me.”
‘My fiance, a firefighter, arrived to help a drunk driver at the scene when he was hit by another drunk driver, also a firefighter.’: Woman loses fiance months before wedding, honors him with special wedding photo shoot
“That night, I told my fiance I had to leave early to make dessert for Thanksgiving. I texted him I made it home safely. He never responded. I thought he’d fallen asleep. My home phone rang. I remember hearing my dad say, ‘He didn’t make it!’ and my mom bawling in the background. I was so confused. I thought my sister’s husband had gotten into an accident, but they came into my room instead. The love of my life had died.”
‘I’ve been in jail, been beat up, raped and left for dead, and it still didn’t stop me.’ Grandmother admits her grandkids were the only thing to give her ‘hope’ for recovery
“I was going to end up with life in prison or in the grave. Now I have 2 little sets of eyes watching me and looking up to me, and that gave me reason to want to live.”
‘We pulled into the cemetery. As she opened the door, there it was. Two vials of glitter.’: Widow finds humor in the special way she and daughter honor their beloved late police officer husband, father
“We pulled into the beautiful cemetery, making our way to the mausoleum that housed my sweet husband. I wanted to scream, ‘come out of there right now.’ It struck me, we didn’t have anything to leave behind. Then she opened the car door. I bet he secretly likes it. I bet he’s smiling. I bet he’s telling all his friends in Heaven the story about the time he was covered in glitter while writing a ticket in the sun.”
‘I have searched for my fiance’s dad’s grave for 5 years. With absolutely no help from his biological family, we finally found it right when we were about to give up.’
“We searched the cemetery without any luck, even though we had the location of the grave, when an angel showed up, or at least that’s what I consider him.”
