Anniversary

Usually, anniversaries are happy times of celebration. But today marks a year since my beloved papi left us to go, as he liked to say, al otro lado de las cosas.

It's been a year filled with dates when not having him hit home hard, like on my birthday in October or on his birthday in February or on Father's Day just last month.

Today, my husband and I walked the dogs to the commemorative bench mami and us had built for him and we placed a little flower offering I bought at the farmer's market this morning.

Papito, wherever you are, you must know how much we all miss you and how, while the grief is perhaps a little less intense a year later, your absence is no less keenly felt.