Marker in place

I ended up at the cemetery last Monday (3/29) while taking a walk with my friend’s littlest kiddo (so she could get some things done in her house.) We stopped to see Astrid’s grave and found that her marker had been placed. The warmer temps and melted snow must have made it possible for them to finally set it.

A wave of emotions hit me the moment I saw her name etched in granite. I was thankful that my companion was an almost one-year-old who didn’t question my tears or feel the need to comfort me. I was able to cry and feel the weight of the finality that was in front of me, alone. Astrid’s body’s final resting place is now marked for anyone who visits that part of the cemetery to see. Her earthly existence, though only physically felt by me and my family, is known. It’s a reality that is both comforting and hard at the same time.

ETA: On 4/7, my friend, Michelle, stopped at the cemetery with two of her boys to see Astrid’s marker and pray for our family. When I was talking to her later about the flowers beside the marker, she said someone else had left them prior to their visit. My grieving mama’s heart found comfort in knowing someone cared enough to notice my little girl and leave flowers. A simple gesture that means a lot.