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| Apparently this is supposed to read, "Rowan's HERO lives here." Is that not the best thing ever? |
But it got me thinking about the last year a half, and last Father's Day and other important occasions (like my birthday). On each occasion, someone stepped up and guided Rowan in recognizing my special day, either helping her pick out or make presents for me. Rowan absolutely loved giving me these gifts, and I loved receiving them.
Before Aimee's death, that's a role she would have taken on.
So the point of this post is this: if you know someone who has lost their spouse/partner, and they have young children who aren't really able to go out and obtain gifts for the surviving parent on their own, please make sure you or someone else steps in and fills that gap. Losing a spouse brings with it so many, many other losses. And it adds so much to the surviving spouse's realm of responsibility, leaving so much more for them to handle. It has meant the world to me that Rowan has been able to recognize Father's Day and my birthday and Christmas, because others have helped her do that (and as I said, Rowan loves it, too). It would mean the world to others if someone helped their young children do the same for them.
On a related note: on Mother's Day, quite a few of my friends sent me some kind of note (tweet, Facebook post, etc) recognizing my efforts at filling the role of mom to Rowan. It was truly touching, even though I feel like I still get to have my day on Father's Day. Having people say encouraging and sweet things on Mother's Day too was a nice treat. So if you know any single moms (especially widows or families where dad is MIA) who are doing their damnedest to also fill in as father to their kids, maybe take a moment and show them a little love this Sunday. I'm sure it'll mean a lot.
Pat, that gift Rowan gave you, fits you perfectly. To Rowan you are her "hero". You are there to comfort her, talk in mommy voice when she is missing Aimee. And yet there will be alot of mommy things Rowan will need at some point in her life, I know you will do your darndest to fill the mommy shoes and you have done so many times over since the loss of Aimee. And yes it is hard to be both mommy and daddy at times. You are doing the best job you can. Yes you are only human you will make mistakes along the way, but you have so many people here for you, such as Donna, Caroline, and probably a few more on your side of the family to help you. And I am sure with out a doubt you will ALWAYS be Rowans hero.
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