Byron's birthday is this Wednesday, Jan. 28. I have a good group of friends to come over and sing our hearts out, maybe have a bonfire.

Yesterday I went to a family wedding. Cried copiously all through the vows and through the homily which was about finding love later in life, accepting it as a gift. Byron and I never got the chance to stand up and affirm our commitment to our community.

So it's been a bump in the process. But I'm also finding peace and healing along the way. The sorrow is like a lump of pain that never goes away, but I'm learning to live with it and around it, not to let it rule me all the time.

Allison