so many ways to remember and celebrate the life of a loved one

Since Jon died, I have gone to a funeral, a celebration of life, and a graveside service for different people. At each one, I wonder if we should have done something different for Jon's memorial. His death was so sudden and unexpected that my ability to plan was completely absent. My regret is that I didn't arrange for anyone to say anything to the group. In my defense, I couldn't even say the words "my husband shot himself," so I couldn't really handle much. I have been reassured that we did the right thing by keeping it casual. It was really nice to see people visiting and smiling and connecting. I know it was probably best for my kids (and all the kids there, really) to be able to run around at the park. It was good for my heart to see my boys laughing and being happy kids. I am grateful that my family provided papers for people to write stories about Jon. Nicki put those together into a beautiful book and I love everything that was shared. I'm grateful for the people that came to Jon's memorial and spent time with me, showing love and respect for Jon and for his family.

I don't really have a point with this post. Maybe just that any type of celebration of a person's life is lovely. What we chose to do was good for our family and that is enough.