Two Years ... Seriously ?

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Aaron Jr and his amazing eyes at the cemetery.

It has now been two years since Aaron passed away. I will say it again... time is a strange thing. It feels like it was just yesterday that we lost Aaron, but it also feels like it has been an eternity since we have seen him. Time is strange indeed.

We all met at the cemetery again this year. Thanks to Sue and Steve for bringing the balloons. I had been trying to figure out how many balloons to do this year. So far at the funeral and last year, there was no rhyme or reason to the number of balloons we released, but I have been wanting to settle on a number so that we could have a meaning behind it... so I asked them to get 30 red and white balloons... one for each year that Aaron lived. That is how many we will do each year.




Once again... sending our hearts to heaven...

I asked that once the balloons were released for everyone to join in singing 'God Be With You Til We Meet Again'. So as we watched the balloons disappear, we were singing that song. I couldn't sing all of it because it was too overwhelming, but it is a very special song.

After the balloons were out of sight, I asked Aaron's brother Steve to offer a family prayer. It was a beautiful prayer and it brought me to tears.

After the prayer, I told everyone about something I wanted to do. I had bought a bag of sunflower seeds. When Aaron was here with us, he ate sunflower seeds all the time. He always had a bag in the car with us and would eat them whenever we were driving. He would also eat them when he was working in the shop on furniture. Aaron Jr also loved them, but he couldn't shell them in his mouth like Aaron did... so Aaron would shell them and then hand the seed back to Aaron Jr. So much work for just a little seed.

Top: Aaron Jr scattering sunflower seeds.
Bottom: Aaron Jr showing off the gifts that Sadie made for us. Ornaments for the tree with photos in them. Photos of Aaron with Aaron Jr and photo of Aaron with me. We love them. Thank you Sadie. She also made a necklace one for me.

Anyhow, ever since Aaron passed away, whenever Aaron Jr sees sunflower seeds, he always says, 'Daddy's'. So, I know it is a true memory of his. He doesn't have many specific memories like that, so I thought it would be fun to start a tradition of putting sunflower seeds on his grave. So I handed some out to all the kids and they put them on the headstone, I scattered some on the grass where he is buried, and Aaron Jr scattered some on the grass on the other side of the headstone. It was a special thing we can do each year to celebrate Aaron Jr's memories of Aaron.

Leslie and Aaron Jr.

It has been a pretty emotional month for me for loads of reasons, not the least of those being the anniversary of Aaron's death. There is just a feeling to this month that brings emotions now. It is a month to be grateful and a month for us to remember. I have to admit, I am so grateful for the comfort and peace that the Lord continues to bring to us as we continue to try to move forward in life while remembering Aaron. We hope and pray that all of Aaron's family and friends are also accepting the peace and comfort that the Lord offers to us if we are willing to accept it. I haven't always been willing to accept it, but I am learning each day to be better about that.
I want to thank everyone who came to join us in remembering. We appreciate it.

We miss Aaron. His life is one to be celebrated and we will continue to do so...

We love you Aaron / Daddy...

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