Summers are my favourite

Like most Canadians, I love summer. It's a time of renewed hope, where memories of a long winter fade into the recesses.  Anyone who lives in the northern hemisphere knows how important summer is to us.  It's a time for family and friends, connection and community, BBQs, baseball games, picnics and hopefully a vacation if we're fortunate.

All of these beautiful memories to be made are without our Moms.

It's a reminder that each joyful moment can be tinged with a certain sadness.  What my friend Nina Rodriguez, host of the wonderful podcast, Grief and Light, calls in Spanish, “felicitreza” which is a combination of felicidad (happiness) and tristeza (sadness).  I don't speak Spanish very well anymore but I'm definitely going to be using this one! I think it sums how I'm feeling pretty perfectly.  Happy-sad, joy and grief, felicitreza.

I'm glad we're through May and June to be honest. Today is the 29th anniversary of my Mom's death.  June 17, 1995. The day my entire life changed. Today, I'm holding my Mom in my heart, and I'm holding your beautiful moms in my heart as well. Felicitreza.  I can't think of a better way to explain how I'm feeling these days.

x Janet