We lost you a year ago…

I can’t believe it’s been a year since Lynn’s sister passed away.

It doesn’t seem real. It doesn’t seem possible.

It seems like just yesterday that she was in our home for the Christmas Holidays, yet I know that that particular memory is over a year old.

The last time we saw Brenda was when her and her mom came here for Christmas in 2018. They were here for a few days, and departed just after New Year’s in 2019. Little did we know it would be the last time we were to see her.

She went for “minor” surgery at the end of January, and was tragically taken from us a week later.

I will never forget the call I got from Lynn after her mom called her.

She was crying, and not comprehendible. I knew something major had happened.

We were off to Saskatchewan a couple days later, and Lynn and her mom have been back and forth many times since.

The last year has been challenging for all of us. It’s been challenging for Lynn’s mom due to the loss of her daughter. It’s been challenging for Lynn, because when Brenda died she lost her best friend. It’s been challenging for me as well, as I struggle to be there for Lynn, her mom, and struggle with my own demons.

Yet, somehow we have made it through the tragedy, for what choice did we have.

We miss Brenda. We struggle to understand why this tragedy had to befall her. We’ve regrouped, healing our wounds the best way we know how, leaning on each other for support. We move forward, not because we are callous and uncaring, but because we have no other choice. Make no mistake though, we go forward permanently impacted by this loss.

We work to remember Brenda, her smile, her compassion, he sarcastic wit. Her light may be gone, but her impact will forever be close to our hearts. We will never forget her.

I hope you are at peace Brenda, because we are not. We will all miss you until the day the family is reunited once again.

Kevin