Birthday Celebration
Yesterday was Lulu's birthday... the second we've had without her.
It is so easy to get caught up in the business of the daily grind. school-work-exercise-soccer-basketball-practice-games-dogs-dentist-housework-chauffeur-cook-clean-sleep... and DO IT AGAIN.
But after our normal insane day, we took a few minutes together as a family. Something we don't do often enough. We sat down at the table for dinner together. Hari had picked up desserts, because Lulu loved her treats - she never ate much, always an extra small slice or serving, but she loved cake. (She's the whole reason we had a "real" wedding instead of my suggestion that we go get married on a beach somewhere. Lulu wanted wedding cake. And I'm forever grateful for the beautiful memories I have thanks to her.)
Another tradition we used to have was to pick up individual desserts when we went down to celebrate Lulu's birthday. We'd drive down, stop at the local bakery near their house, and Hari would pick up an assortment of treats. Last night was no exception.
Tira misu for Hari. Fruit tarts for Ryan and I. And for Colin the biggest red-velvet cupcake I've ever seen, which was topped with (no kidding) 2 inches of frosting and a candy rose on top.
We each wished her a happy birthday before our first bite, and when we were about done I went to take the dogs out. When I came back Ryan had his head buried in Hari's shoulder and was sobbing hysterically. On his phone Hari was playing an Adam Levine song, Memories. It is incredibly sad, and Lulu would have loved it. I guess that was the tipping point for Ryan. And while he's normally resilient, he couldn't pull it together. He went upstairs and took a long shower, and came out with very red eyes. He came to me, still crying, looked me in the eyes, and said "I just can't imagine what it would be like to not be here any more. To not be with your family." Big thoughts for an 8-year-old.
We love you, Lulu, wherever you are.
It is so easy to get caught up in the business of the daily grind. school-work-exercise-soccer-basketball-practice-games-dogs-dentist-housework-chauffeur-cook-clean-sleep... and DO IT AGAIN.
But after our normal insane day, we took a few minutes together as a family. Something we don't do often enough. We sat down at the table for dinner together. Hari had picked up desserts, because Lulu loved her treats - she never ate much, always an extra small slice or serving, but she loved cake. (She's the whole reason we had a "real" wedding instead of my suggestion that we go get married on a beach somewhere. Lulu wanted wedding cake. And I'm forever grateful for the beautiful memories I have thanks to her.)
Another tradition we used to have was to pick up individual desserts when we went down to celebrate Lulu's birthday. We'd drive down, stop at the local bakery near their house, and Hari would pick up an assortment of treats. Last night was no exception.
Tira misu for Hari. Fruit tarts for Ryan and I. And for Colin the biggest red-velvet cupcake I've ever seen, which was topped with (no kidding) 2 inches of frosting and a candy rose on top.
We each wished her a happy birthday before our first bite, and when we were about done I went to take the dogs out. When I came back Ryan had his head buried in Hari's shoulder and was sobbing hysterically. On his phone Hari was playing an Adam Levine song, Memories. It is incredibly sad, and Lulu would have loved it. I guess that was the tipping point for Ryan. And while he's normally resilient, he couldn't pull it together. He went upstairs and took a long shower, and came out with very red eyes. He came to me, still crying, looked me in the eyes, and said "I just can't imagine what it would be like to not be here any more. To not be with your family." Big thoughts for an 8-year-old.
We love you, Lulu, wherever you are.
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