Mother’s Day 2023 - another “first without you!” Bittersweet because it was also a baby shower weekend in Dallas for Hailey and Davis and our first grandchild. I happily made the trip to Dallas to share this special occasion and represent the Hall side of this union. But in truth, this shower was all about the amazing love and generous hearts of the Briggs family and their lifelong friends, the Scudders, and many other local friends (and celebrities).
In some ways, Davis has a similar “home” connection in Dallas as I do in Knoxville. Perhaps more so because his parents and their family and friends have an even longer history there. It was very touching to see this close group of family and life-long friends shower Davis and Hailey with so much love and support (and generous baby gifts)! As an added bonus, we got to go to the AT&T Byron Nelson PGA Golf Tournament on Saturday as VIPs to watch/follow Scottie Scheffler. Scottie’s wife, Meredith (of the Scudder clan) was one of the hosts of the baby shower, and Scottie made a brief appearance to hang out and eat!
Sunday morning, we all went to a wonderful service at the Briggs family church. Afterward, while the Briggs family went to have a Mother’s Day Brunch, Hailey and I split off for some quiet time together. We ate a big breakfast meal and ordered an extra item from the menu which we both felt you would have liked (a fancy piece of French toast with fresh fruit, granola, and yogurt. We shared a few tears of joy and sadness as we talked about our lives and how we are doing without you.
I am finding that if we look hard enough in the “firsts” that we face without you, grief is more than just the raw painful sadness for us missing you and for you missing out on these moments. There is also a comforting reaffirmation that life does indeed have an unstoppable momentum and moves on for those of us remaining.
And so, this Mother’s Day is indeed a “first” on two counts. First because of your absence, but also technically Hailey’s first as a mother as she is providing safety and sustenance to support the growth and development of the precious child within her. Happy Mother’s Day!
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