Jiggy Day...
the day my angel girl would have celebrated her 21st birthday.
Our family tries very hard to embrace this day with feverish fun and a little bit of nonsense.
Cass surprised her kiddos with brownies for breakfast. Olivia was hesitant at first and then devoured one and then another.
If you ask Henry...he knows exactly who his Aunt Jocie is and where she lives..."She lives at Heaven!"
The grandbabies are growing up celebrating Jiggy Day. It's a special day that will help them always know about the Auntie they never met.
We spent the afternoon eating pasta, frolicking in the park, and finishing off our fun with chocolate chip cookies from the bakery!
Watching these two in the park, I wish with all my heart that Jocie was here sliding down slides with them, and soaking up adventures. I know she would teach them how to be a little bit naughty...just to annoy her sister.
The day is always a range of emotions for all of us. We laugh, we cry, we miss Jocie immensely. Living in LA, Dione has to face the day alone...so she made homemade cinnamon buns for the attorneys in her law firm to celebrate the day.
While picking up large Diet Cokes at our local McDonald's drive-thru on my way home, I bought lunch for some unsuspecting patron in the car behind me. The cashier asked what she should tell the driver when he pulled up to the window, "Just tell him Happy Jiggy Day!" I'm sure they had no idea what that meant...
With Jiggy Day drawing to a close, we visited the cemetery where a very large pink balloon caught the evening rays of sun and my heart felt the warmth of Jocie's spirit.
And finally, because Jocie was kind of a carnivore...a steak dinner with Chet, the girlfriends, and Lindsay's hubby Alex. Their iconic red lipstick is a tradition on Jiggy Day!
One of the things I love about Jiggy Day is how our friends and family embrace the day with us. You absolutely must see the
blog post from my sweet photographer friend Aurora and her beautiful four-year old daughter known as The Wee One. I am so thrilled to have met Aurora. She is such a sweet friend and a fabulous Mamma. Here is how
The Wee one spent Jiggy Day. And don't miss the video at the end...it is simply adorable. I love you Aurora and The Wee One...thank you for remembering Jocie and sharing Jiggy Day with us!
And most of all Happy Birthday to my gorgeous red-head daughter Jocie. I miss you more than I can almost stand. I know your 21st in heaven must have been a fabulous party.
Oh these days, these special to remember but hard, hard days. You got through another one , and with a mixture of dredge, hard slog but also with the grace that you and your family show continually. Thank you. And I hope you are as ok as you can be. Renee.
ReplyDeleteI love how beautifully your family embraces the duality of grief. The pain and the happy memories are both so necessary, aren't they? You are a wonderful example to me.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you all day this day thanks to instagram! I kept thinking of your cute red headed one as I ran around trying to pull a PTA Oktoberfest event off at the elementary school that night, grateful I get to do these things for my kiddos.... I did get to enjoy a german brat, saurkraut, and a live yodeler that night and thought how unusual and fun and different and silly it was to clap and dance to a german yodeler!!
ReplyDeletebless you and your darling family. i can't begin to imagine your pain and loss but always know that people care and pray and hope for your joy...which you recognize and share and seem to find in the everyday!!!
xoxo
Do you make I heart JG shirts anymore?
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