The Unveiling has been scheduled

Hello all,

It's been 5 months since my last blog post and some days it feels like it was just yesterday.  April 25th will be a year since we lost Scott and his unveiling has finally been scheduled.  The ceremony will be held on April 7th, at 10:30 am at the Cemetery where he rests:

The cemetery is the Eternal Light Memorial Gardens
11520 State Road 7
Boynton Beach, FL 33437
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?q=eternal+light+memorial+gardens&hl=en&cid=14839868057363837533

If you aren't familiar with unveiling ceremonies, this is a short, informative read:  http://www.myjewishlearning.com/life/Life_Events/Death_and_Mourning/Burial_and_Mourning/Tombstone.shtml

It should be a short ceremony, and please don't feel obligated in any way to attend.  I just wanted to make sure everyone knew about it.  You all can, of course, visit the cemetery whenever you'd like.  Scott's parents are having a bench installed and the grounds are quite beautiful, though Scott was never one for feeling like he had to go visit his loved ones graves to remember them - he believe they lived on in his heart and his happy memories.  I believe the same.  I will probably do another post after the unveiling with the picture of the stone for those who could not attend.

I hope you are all doing well and that happy memories of Scott bring you comfort.  I finally reached a point around the time of my last blog post where I was remembering the healthy, happy Scott - before he got too sick.  I can hear his sweet voice in my head again and imagine his smile.  I can remember happy times instead of the fresh memories of him being scared and in pain and can usually overcome the bad memories when they hit me by thinking of the good ones.  I remember friends telling me that time would come eventually, and in the beginning it was hard to imagine it would - but they were right.  I hope and pray the same has happened for you all.

What I didn't know would happen is that I would join this crappy club of "knowing" - the undeniable knowing and painful understanding you have when a friend goes through the same thing.  It's like this unspoken language of understanding that I didn't know existed, but the craziest part is that I SHOULD have - it's what made the support of my "knowing" friends and family so valuable while I was getting through the darkest of days leading up to Scott's death and the grieving process after.  I experienced the "knowing club" for the first time as I talked to my friend and former "Work Husband" about the recent loss of his Mother.  And as we talked about her final days in hospice and preparing for her funeral, I was struck by the immense love and friendship that my "knowing" friends showed me and how hard it must have been for them to support me through it.  You guys know who you are and I thank you with all of my heart - I hadn't truly understood the burden you bear and I can only hope that I will properly pay it forward.

I've been meaning to post about the unveiling for over a week now, and every time I sat down to login to the blog, I decided I wasn't ready.  Tonight, I decided it was time and I'm glad I chose tonight so that I could read my last post.  Today, I learned of another beautiful friend who was diagnosed, as well as an extended family member from my past who will resume her battle - I needed the reminder to myself that I will not let cancer and the loss of Scott make me damaged and lose hope.  Please don't forget either - remember that there is every reason to "Just Keep Swimming".

Love to you all,
Amy