Ways of coping

 You visit my thoughts every day.  Sometimes in my dreams I see you smiling and for a moment I believe your safe with us again.  With the  cruel light of day the vision & happiness it brought to my weary  heart, fades away and the cold reality washes over me.  Your gone.  It’s been a long time.  In my heart you live forever 16.  My hope is one day, in any way we can, we will find you and bring you home. Always and forever in my heart. 

 One way of coping that has helped me immensely is writing. It has been an outlet for my thoughts.  Sometimes it’s difficult to explain to someone who is not going through this experience of a missing loved one how it feels, the personal struggle.  So pen to paper (or thumbs to texting) I spoke out loud on paper my inner feelings.  Although my family and friends are also working their way through it, sometimes they can’t carry you as well as themselves.  So this outlet for me has been cathartic.  Another benefit being that I have a record.  Some people do journal and I suppose this is what I do without realizing it’s value later to help pinpoint events to refer back to.  So it has been useful. I also have kept just about every email/text thread spanning the time we have been in this situation.  So keeping those is wise in case they are needed at some point to refer back to.