I have been trying to
figure out what to write for this but I can’t seem to get my thoughts to stop
swirling and zooming around in my head long enough for my fingers to even begin
to know what to type. It has been almost
a month since we went to the hospital and celebrated Zach’s death. I hesitate to even type it that way because we
didn’t celebrate that Zach died we just shared with others to remind them that
they weren’t alone. We shared part of
Zachary’s legacy with the hospital reminding people that they are not alone in
the battle that they are facing. For
Zach’s birthday I attempted to make cupcakes… now please don’t miss hear me, I
can make cute cupcakes and I even make my icing from scratch but nothing I did
this year turned out right for them. I
made them as a little reminder to me (not for the people that ate them) but for
me to remember all the laughter that Zach had, even though he couldn’t eat, he
loved to make cupcakes and consistently did it. It is something hard to deal with; we have
Zachary’s death date, Fathers day and then his Birthday all in a two week period.
Why do I choose to
celebrate his birthday and his death date? I have been asked this followed up
by the statements that seem to be so judging and hateful even if I know that
they were NOT meant to be. They were
just reminders that the world that I walk in is not one that people
understand. I was asked why celebrate
his birthday? He is dead! Why celebrate when he died you know that he is okay
and is with God? Why cry? Why Hurt? Because after all you should be happy that
he is with God and that he is stronger, healed and perfect. Why do that and make everyone else around you
remember Zachary? After all you lost him, he is dead. You shouldn’t cry because
you have Aden and a family that loves you.
So here I sit I am
putting my soap box on the floor and I am standing on it and screaming into the
microphone… Please listen!
·
Zachary was my son and no matter where he is I
will love him and miss him. As a mother
we love our children and miss them when they are not close, you can know that
your child is out with friends having the time of their lives but you cannot
sit there and pretend that you don’t miss them or want to be with them or even
that you secretly wish that you could be a fly and watch them smile, laugh and
have a good time. You cannot tell me
that as a mother you don’t love it when your child calls home, or even better
yet comes home. You long to catch up and
see how things are going. Yes, I know
that he is in Heaven, I know how much of a blessing it is but I also know that
since he is there he isn’t here with me.
While I am glad that he is healed and no longer subject to all that was
here on earth, I also hurt.
·
Zachary’s death is something that we use to
share the legacy that he left. Zach
taught many of us me how to be strong even when we don’t know how to be. He taught me how to love. He taught me how to
not judge and he taught me how to fight.
I know that he didn’t teach me all that he could have but I tell you
this Many people dream of their Heroes I got to hold mine in my arms.
·
Why celebrate his birthday? To this all I can
say is just because someone dies doesn’t mean that he or she never existed, if
that was true then we wouldn’t celebrate our grandparents, heck we wouldn’t get
national holidays off (think Washington’s birthday etc). My Mom was very much part of this world and
while she is in Heaven she had a day she was born unto this earth. Zachary does to, while a child and not living
as long as others, he was in fact still born.
Think about that next time you tell someone not to get upset on a dead loved
ones birthday
·
LOST? I didn’t lose him, I wasn’t shopping at
the mall and turned and he was gone. I
didn’t lay him down and can’t remember where.
I didn’t drop him out of my pocket.
Zachary is in Heaven, I know this, I know that he is blessed to be with God. Please know while he isn’t in my daily life
here, I am still very well aware of the fact that I didn’t lose him
·
Please know that I am honored to have Adam and
Aden and it is only because of them that I am alive. I went to work every day last school year,
even on the days that I rather not have.
I made sure Aden had clean clothes and lunch every day. I tried to keep up with clothes and dishes
and I tried to be a good friend. To tell
me that I need to not be upset or cry because I have them is crazy, I wake up
every morning even if it is only have an hour sleep and I live that day for
them. Before you judge missing someone
or being upset walk through it…loose a child, a spouse or a parent that you are
close to.
So now that I said this I
would like to say this… please know that it is okay if you talk about
Zachary. It okay if you ask questions
about him or even about me and how things are different. It is okay to share good information with me
like being pregnant or having a birthday. It is okay to cry because something
hurts you and you don’t always have to be strong just because you think my
heart needs it. Recently I was part of a
conversation talking about the health of one that I love. I was told, I try to hold it together with
you, and I shouldn’t let you see me or hear me like this as tears streamed down
their face… you have been through too much.
I reached over held them and let them know their tears are not in vain,
they in fact made me understand that I am not alone, that I am normal. That while I don’t know the words to say to
make things better, while I know that I can’t change that situation and while I
don’t know what it feels like; The hurt, tears, and emotions well I have them
of my own.
I am sorry to get on the
soap box and to even sound a tad bitter, I am not bitter but I know that it
still very much hurts. Each day it is
getting a tad easier and while I often don’t have the words to express why I am
sad or why I am upset, those days are becoming less frequent. I am blessed to have good family and good
friends around me that hug me and love on me when I need to. Grief is like a wave it comes in and out on
its own time schedule and sometimes the waves are high and hard and will knock
you under and sometimes they are gentle and little to just make you
shiver. Each and every milestone Aden
goes through is one that Zach will never go through and so that is something
that we have to grieve. Each holiday is
one that we don’t get to celebrate and be with him. It doesn’t ever just go away. My family and other families like mine need to be able to grieve without having family and friends, those that should love and support us the most making comments and judging us
