Twenty years ago today, is a day I can never forget. A day that shaped the last 20 years of my life. A day that I will forever be grateful for. It was the day I met my dearest David at a roller skating rink, a man I think of every day. A man that I will always love and man who loved me without limits.

I remember the smile on his face as he approached me to skate. I remember his persistence, I remember how two hours flew by, I remember David waiting at the exit and handing me his pager number . I still have the paper he wrote his number on.

I remembered resisting the urge to “page” him and finally caving in and paging him the next day (he claims it was three days later), I remember the endless conversations, I remembered how we used to celebrate our anniversaries monthly, I remembered that perfect summer in 2006, it was like a dream. Love came so easy and I felt very lucky but somehow we also both felt like it was not going to last…our worlds after all were so different. Love conquered all our trepidations and I am so glad we made it work. Twenty years later I reflect on that love and also our daughters that brought even greater love to our lives.

I look at the last 20 years with very sincere gratitude knowing that I have been blessed with such great love. Grief remains very present in our lives. We miss David dearly and having him in our hearts just isn’t enough. In fact, sometimes that just seems like ridiculous jargon we say to console ourselves. Time does not make grief normal, it just becomes something that we have dealt with longer and sadly more familiar with.

Our road to victory continues, I remain determined to ensure that grief does not prevent me and my daughters from attaining our full potential. I am blessed because of that perfect summer day on Jul 13, 1996 when I met my David. My love for you is constant because true love never dies.