Holidays are hard and I don't think they will ever become easier. I'm so grateful that I have always taken a lot of photos. The photos help bring the memories back into focus, but you can't hug a photo. The photo can't tell you, "I love you Mom." The photo can't sing, laugh or tell you how it's feeling. And the photo is static.
As I sit here and look through the Halloween photos, I wonder what Samantha would have chosen to be this year. When she was little, it was always a big decision. She would even ask to go to the fabric store with me to look through the pattern books. She loved that I was able to make the costumes of their choice. Later when she was in college and she had to sew a costume, she told me she didn't know how I made all those crazy things they wore. Sewing was not her favorite thing to do. It's not mine anymore either.
I hope you enjoy the photos. As you can see, her smile was lighting up a room from the time she was little. I miss that smile every damn day. I miss her laugh, her singing, our long talks and I so miss her hugs. I miss her presence and her love....
