Seven Years

Yesterday marked the 7th anniversary of Tyler's accident.   Seems weird to say "anniversary" in relation to a death, but that's what it is.  Seven years have passed and yet there are times when it feels like it was just yesterday,  As my daughter said yesterday "It feels like a minute and a lifetime have passed at the same time".
Depending on our perspective the same time period can seem very long or very short. 
It seems like forever since we last saw Tyler, seven years is a long time to go without seeing your loved one.  Yet I can still recount so much about that day even a good bit of that week.  Those memories are so clear that it often feels like it was just yesterday. 
That week was rough.  So much happened. BUT it wasn't all bad.  There were some good things that I remember about that week too. 
Just a few things that come to mind right now:
Adrianna (Tyler's daughter) had the idea to send messages on balloons to her dad in Heaven.  She was only 6 and she came up with the idea on her own.  She asked her mom to take her to get balloons and brought them to my house so we could write messages and release them together.  Her sweetness brought tears to my eyes.  When she saw that I was crying she got upset because she thought "she made me cry".  (Ok so I'm going off on a little tangent here: let the little ones in your life see you cry.  It's important that they know sometimes it's ok to cry, especially over the loss of a loved one). 
100's of people within our community, some who never met Tyler, came out for a Memorial Ride to honor Tyler and show their support for our family.  Some rode motorcycles, some drove cars.  The local police helped direct traffic.  Some people stood on the side of the road to take photos and videos then sent them to me to have as a keepsake.  When I look back at these keepsakes, I am overcome with thankfulness that so many people were touched by Tyler and his story that they gave up their Saturday morning to show their support. 
Our church "family"- so many reached out to help us with meals, funeral arrangements and expenses  and even cleaning the guest room for our son (Zach) and his family's arrival,  
My former work family.  Several of my coworkers came to visit, brought meals, sent cards and helped with desserts for after the funeral.   

Seven years later and I still remember the kindness and compassion that was shown to us after the accident.  Seven years later and many people continue to show us that same compassion.  Some have texted us to let us know they were thinking of us, and that they remember that June 7th was the day that changed our lives forever.  They reached out to us before any of us even posted anything about it.  
So if you remember only one thing from reading this blog.   
Remember this:
Don't be afraid to reach out to someone to let them know you remember their loss.  You won't be reminding them of their loss, they didn't forget. 
They will appreciate that you remembered them and their loved one.  Even Seven Years later.