today is the day

I think you've chosen a great way to honor your brother's memory. I'm sure he would have wanted you to lead a happy and full life.

It can be very difficult to get up and continue with life when someone close passes away. Reach out for support from family and friends, but also realize you need to continue with life. One thing that really helped me when someone close passed away was realizing the fact that even though I was continuing living my life did not mean I was forgetting or dishonoring the person. If anything, the person close to me would have wanted me to continue cooking and baking as normal and I did.

It is not easy Peggy, and I can relate to your pain. What has worked for me in remembering my close friend who died in battle is trying to celebrate the memorable moments we had together when he was still alive, and do so at any occasion I remembered him and was doing something related to things that we did together. I just know that if he was with us, he would have loved to see us celebrating his life and the great moments we shared. It is still not easy, not even when I write these lines, but I am convinced that wherever he is, he loves seeing us still remembering him, and at the sam time, being happy for the life he lived.