This year, I choose: Family.
I recently finished shloshim after the somewhat sudden death of my wife, Debbie. We had been married 43 years – together for 44, and her greatest gift to me was and is my family. Debbie’s kids were 8 and almost 4 when I came into the picture. We had a child together four years into our marriage. All of these children are now grown-ups with their own children. I have eight grandchildren in total, ranging from ages 21 to 5. Outside of my friends, and I have a lot of them, thank God, I know I can count on my family. As they have been from day one, they are the most important thing to me as I go through this stressful time. What I have to keep in mind is that they are going through a similarly stressful time of their own. We have spent much time together since this tragedy occurred and will continue to do so.
The grief and the love is a positive thing. Hard sometimes, for sure, but necessary. We have a long-planned trip to the Dominican Republic that the entire family is taking in October. It was going to be for a big birthday of mine; now, we will add a tribute to our wife, mother and grandmother while we’re there. We all feel that it’s the right thing to go and be all together as a family; we’ll just make it all that much sweeter. Debbie’s death made it that much more important to go. Her love for us and our love for her will keep us going and going as time passes.
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