This week marks Melanie’s 6th birthday in Heaven. Another birthday, another year gone by without her. Is it easier? In some ways, yes. I no longer feel the extreme heaviness of grief that I felt in the earlier years, but it’s still hard. The missing never ends and I never expect it will.

But living without hope is impossible. Hope is our oxygen. It’s the fuel that keeps us going when times are tough, giving us the strength to press on through the challenges we face during loss, and the vision to dream of better days.