TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY

On April 28 1975, I had a beautiful baby boy.  Jamie.  He would be 36 today.  Sadly, we lost our precious son to a depressive illness on November 21 2006.  He was handsome, intelligent, thoughtful, articulate and self-made.  He worked his way through university and graduated with an Honors Degree in English.  He got married and had a beautiful baby girl.  His job at the National Library of Canada was a challenging one and he won an award for being the project manager of a website for jazz great Oscar Peterson.

Then one day, he fell ill.  Very very ill.  He thought it was a flu that wouldn't go away.  But the symptoms were all too familiar to me.  Depression.  And he lost the battle with it.  I know that if Jamie were here, he would want me to use this platform to say that if anyone of you or someone you know, has this dark sickness, please seek medical attention immediately.  The symptoms are here at depression.com. 

This day also marks another loss in our lives.  My sweet mother-in-law, Marion, passed away on this day in 1980.  She suffered a major heart attack and passed away on Jamie's 5th birthday.   She was a mother to me in every sense of the word.  I was a very young bride and mother and she took me under her wing, teaching me what I needed to know about caring for my little family.  I loved her so. 

I debated about sharing such personal information on this blog.  I do so with the intent of helping others who may suffer challenges in their own lives.

We do not define our son by how he died, but rather how he lived.  He did the absolute best he could in this life and we are so proud of him.  I feel that we will see him again.  If I didn't have this assurance, I don't think I could get through this.  But, I am getting through and so is my dear husband.  We know that day by day, we must make the decision and effort to feel the joy and happiness that is ours.  Do we feel down, unhappy and sad at times?  Yes, absolutely.  The feelings of loss will always be with us.  But, we must make the best of the remainder of our lives.  We feel we have a responsibility to do this when so many cannot. 

I wish you dear reader, all the love and joy that is yours on this special day.