on this day, the anniversary of my moms passing, i put the needle on the same selection of records every year. one of them is Stage Four by Touché Amoré. it’s angry, fragile and raw, not for the faint of heart.

i used to almost tear my eyes out listening to it, literally feeling the anger from the narrator who went through similar pain, loss and grief.

although i still appreciate it from a musical and artistic perspective, over the years, it somehow lost its ability to bring me down. the empty space left in my heart from what was taken away, slowly filled up with gratefulness for all that was given.

i feel humble, proud and privileged, because how lucky are we… for all that we are and the greatest gift of all, life itself. all because of her.

the wisdom to celebrate this, every single day, is the greatest lesson she taught me. and you know what the funny thing about that is? she did it after she died.

go give yours a hug.
now.