1 Year Down...so many more to go

This is my Redneck. We are so different I'm baffled at times by our friendship. Except for that one thing we have in common...that suicide widow badge we share.

Tomorrow I get to hug all three of these amazing humans and eat some of that beast, harvested by that little fire cracker there. Tomorrow my Redneck will hit her one year deathaversary. And I'm making the 8 hour drive to hug her so hard that all the pieces will go back together. Because I'm the "wise old widow"...or so she thinks...

Except I'm not.

I've told her. Warned her countless times. The first year is the easy part. The second year is waaaaay harder. This is not something the average person knows. It's not something I knew in my first year. I was devastated when first year mark passed and it didn't get better.

Fuckers. They all lied to me. "The first year is the hardest". Lies. All lies.

Whoever said that was not living in the land of the grieving. Not widowed. That's for sure.

All the firsts

The big expectation that life reaches this magical recovery point at the 1 year mark comes from the fact that you have survived all the firsts. First Christmas. First round of birthdays. Etc.

You made a plan. Or fumbled through and you made it out the other side.

And my Redneck has done an amazing job on all the firsts. I was with her for almost every single one. Chatting late into the night. Drinking on our kitchen floors. Making sure to help her pick up the pieces the next day. Staying functional right along side her.

She has kicked ass all year. Raw honesty and no denial of the circumstances. Which gives me hope that somehow maybe her second year won't be as rough as it was for me.

Don't deny the feelings

It took me 2.5 years to start rebuilding post loss. The very first thing I did was deny that I was a widow. What? Widow at 36? I don't fucking think so. I'll get married. That will fix that.

Except it didn't. It just made me bury the feelings deeper.

And when they started to emerge I was told to "get over it". "Move on"...and when the emotions kept coming I lost friends. Because I wasn't "fun" anymore.

Because I had finally started to grieve. But with no support.

My Redneck has done such a better job at her first year. And yes I know we don't compare in grief.

But she got support. Never denied her widowhood. Was raw and up front about her feelings from day 1. Didn't bury any of it.

And so I hope that maybe, just maybe her second year will defy the odds and not be worse. She deserves that.

Worth every second

Life is a little nutty in My Round Two. 4 kids with busy schedules, trying to start a small business, means I've had to do a lot of arranging to make this trip happen.

And it will be worth every second. To share the same kitchen floor. To be there for this amazing woman...we pull each other along every day.

All I can think is that I wish I had known her when I hit my 1 year mark. But that would be a terrible wish to bestow upon anyone. And as much as I love this woman I also hate that our paths have crossed at all.

But I know how lonely and completely gutted I felt that day. I can't take her pain away. But I can make damn sure she doesn't feel alone. If there is a way I can take that feeling away for another suicide widow...I'm all over that shit. And she's not just any suicide widow. She's my wifey...wifey for lifey.

Watch out Pennsylvania. I'm on my way.