Simon would have been 36 today. His close friends will probably get together for a craft beer and tell stories to remember their buddy. We continued our family tradition of staying at a local theme park resort. Simon loved lounging by the pool and using the sauna during the day. At night, we would go out to dinner then stay at the amusement park until closing. While some prefer to celebrate with big parties, Simon always loved spending his birthday with family, just being together and relaxing.

This year, we celebrate with Jason. He has gone above and beyond expectations to honor Simon and acknowledge the role he played in our lives. Last week, Jason spent hours extracting files from our old computer. He found over 150 videos of Simon and the kids. Our kids now have even more tangible evidence of how much their dad loved them. The kids have begun to introduce Jason as their new dad, unprompted. In just a few weeks, he will be my new husband. Some days it is impossibly hard to balance the grief and joy. Because the hard truth is that I really miss Simon. And I really love Jason. When I look at all that Jason has done and said to win my heart and the children’s hearts, it is everything I could have ever wanted. It’s also what Simon wanted.

Today we celebrate a life well lived as we continue to live our lives well.