Tough Day

Yesterday was tough and today is not much better. In grief counseling, they spend a lot of time talking about "significant days/anniversaries" because those are hard to get through - especially the first year. Yesterday (the 18th) was 6 months from the day that Larry had his first symptoms and went to the hospital. The 18th of the month had not particularly bothered me the last few months - it was more the 17th which is the day he passed away. However, for some reason the 6 month anniversary has really been emotional and hard for me.  It was the "day the music died".... The day that began the end of our dreams, hopes, companionship, trips and memories together. We stepped on a slippery slope that day at the hospital and didn't like what we found at the bottom when it ended 4 weeks later. I just keep hanging on to the wonderful memories I have of our time together and hard as it is, it gets me through One Day At A Time. 

Dorado Country Club Estates, the neighborhood we live in, has undertaken a landscaping project near the entrance. Several people are donating trees in memory of loved ones who have passed away. So, this is "Larry" who has been joined by Harvey and will soon be joined by Vern and Mary Ann - all people that Larry knew who passed away before he did. The tree is a Desert Museum Palo Verde with  lime green bark and tiny, bright yellow flowers.  When in full bloom, it is just beautiful with the blooms totally covering all the branches. We were able to pick from several desert-friendly trees and I went with the Palo Verde since it was a favorite of Larry's when it was in bloom.