Approaching the first anniversary of Jaime’s passing was really tough. Thankfully, we cried so much in those days leading up to it, that the actual day (Sunday) was a bit anti-climatic. Sunday was lovely. We went to church as a family (and probably 15 friends of the family joined us), walked to Jaime’s bench together, and then everyone had lunch and drinks together at the restaurant across the street (where Jaime was working when she died). It was so nice to just have a low key day spent with friends & family, telling stories and reminiscing about all of the wonderful ways in which she touched people’s lives.
One of those stories had to do with her favorite flower – the gerbera daisy. The local florist told us after Jaime’s passing that Jaime used to stop in to the shop every week, and she would buy just a flower or two in order to give them out to people whose days needed brightening.
Today I “give” this flower to you. Yes, you. You’re having a hard day or a hard week or a hard year, and I’m sorry about that. Be kind to yourself, and have faith that things will get better. <3
What a thoughtful person she was. Those are some of my favorite flowers.
There was a day when I was in St Petersburg when everything just felt hard. Walking down the street there was a flower stall, so I stopped to get one to cheer myself up. The flower I bought was a pink gerbera. They have that effect.
This post made me cry. I’m so glad you got to be with family and friends yesterday. And thank you for the gesture- I needed it 🙂
The day you describe has always seemed to me like the ideal way to honor someone we’ve lost. Of course there will be tears and anger, but “a low key day spent with friends & family, telling stories and reminiscing about all of the wonderful ways in which she touched people’s lives” is about perfect (given the circumstances of course). It certainly sounds like Jaime was an amazing woman. Gerbera daisies have always seemed like such happy flowers, so it’s only fitting that they were Jaime’s favorite.