So this school year our daughter would be a senior in high school. Watching everyone posting senior photos of their kids is bittersweet to me. On the one hand you are so proud and happy for those families- on the other is the sadness of knowing you aren’t participating in the revelry. Another milestone missed.

However, the senior class president contacted me other day to inform me that my daughters class has come together and decided to include her in the graduation ceremony. There will be an empty chair to symbolize her missing from the group, they will call her name as if she were there, and in the yearbook there will be a dedication to their missing friend. It was heartwarming and also instantly brings me to tears. How sweet these children are. But it also brings to mind that they lost a friend just like we lost our daughter. Their hearts hurt too. I’ll be honest in saying- it’s not something I considered overly much in my own state of grief. I thought about how much my son grieved but that was pretty much the end of my consideration. I’m ashamed of that. But these resilient children- many of whom had never had an experience with death prior to my daughter passing- grieved as well and miss their friend so much as to make an effort to include her in their graduation ceremony posthumously. They are stronger than many give them credit for.