My mind goes back in time to a mummy. His name was Robert, and he was a special little boy. He was cute; Robert was blessed with good looks. It must have been elementary school, or could have been junior high, that I saw the mummy dance for the first of two times.

My mother died suddenly at the age of 65. Too young to have been taken away from us, and she never even had to deal with the death of her own mother. The past two years, she had suffered terrible pains from an auto-immune disease, but it wasn't supposed to take her life so soon. And, except for my Dad, she also had not let her family know just how much she hurt. I had taken it for granted that she was going to be around for a long time, and I didn't even get to tell her goodbye.

What a shock, Mother. How am I going to fill that huge void in my heart that was for you alone? I still feel like you should be here. It just doesn't seem fair. You were so gentle and kind, and I admired you so much. You loved bears and houses and nature. You were so artistic and could do anything you put your mind to. You were my dad's life. After being together for 50 years, how is he going to fill the half of his heart that is missing? We are so selfish, though, thinking only of ourselves in this when we should be celebrating your acomplishment. You walk with the King of Kings, Mother. Jesus walks with you side-by-side, and you have now seen God's face. You are happy, and do not suffer any more and for that I am joyful for you. But, I can't help feeling the sorrow of not being able to talk with you, to see you in my life on earth, and to hear your beautiful voice, giving me the advice that I cherished. Who's going to give me that advice now? I will lean on Jesus for that and try to take comfort in the fact that He is with you, and you are with us in spirit along with Him. Someday, we will be together again forever. I love you.

Copyright © 2002 Diana Gonzales. All rights reserved.

I am a 22-year-old mother of three, and I lost my husband in Aug. of 2001. Here is my story.

My husband left on a Friday to deliver a horse to Utah. On Saturday night, I had a terrible dream about death. I had never lost anyone before, and the feelings in my dream were so strong. I called my mother the next morning, and she said that it may be about her because she has a heart condition. Little was I to know that in less than 48 hours my life was about to become a nightmare.

I got a call in the middle of the night on Sunday to inform me that he was lost in the desert. I sat up all night talking to police and waiting. I knew that I would never see him alive again. I called my in-laws to tell them. The next morning, we got a call that they found him; my in-laws and I left right away. Less than five minutes later, they called us back; he was gone.

The next week or two are kind of a blur. I didn't sleep or eat—I was in shock. Surrounded by his family helps. He was burried on the 25th at his family's ranch in Mexico. To anyone who may be going through the same thing, I can say it only gets easier with faith and lots of time.

He only lived 27 years and left behind two daughters and a son. The last seven months of life have been a nightmare. Yet I can say for the first time in 7 months, I do believe that I will make it through this. Don't try to get over it, you never will. Try to get through it. I am trying to keep faith, but it is still so painful and hard. Good luck to every one.

Copyright © 2002 Carrie Minz Ramirez. All rights reserved.

When tomorrow starts without you and you're not here to see how very much I loved you and how precious and dear you are to me, all I ask is that you just remember me.

You were my life, my friend, and my only love. You were the strength that kept me going through the good times and the bad. You pushed me and encouraged me to be the person I needed to be. So when tomorrow starts without you, just remember me.

I love you and I miss you and I think about you every day. I have your pictures and memories, but that is just not the same. I talk to you often and visit your grave, but it's so hard to realize that you're really gone. At times I feel your presence letting me know everything will be okay. So when tomorrow starts without you, and you're not here to see, just always remember me.

Life is so hard without you and I've cried a million tears just wishing and waiting for you to come back to me. It's so hard to give you up and that's one thing I don't really want to do, but I know it's really final that you're really, truly gone. For this, I'm really trying, but it's very hard to do, to go with life just as you would want me to do. You left so many things unfinished and so many things to do, so it's just so hard to imagine what you would do.  So when tomorrow starts without you and you're not here to see just be my Guardian Angel and remember to look out for me.

I know you're safe in heaven without the cancer and the pain and you have a heavenly body, but I miss you just the same. I know you're safe with Jesus and have seen him face to face, and are rejoicing with your loved ones and all the other saints who have been called home. I know that you're singing in that heavenly choir, and that you're probably singing Amazing Grace and how he set you free the loudest of all. So when tomorrow starts without you and you're not here to see, just always remember me.

I know you have a mansion and are walking on streets of gold, and that you'll never be sick again and you'll never grow old. I'm waiting patiently to enter those pearly gates so we can be together in that heavenly place. We'll have a lot to talk about and loved ones to see, and we'll get to stroll together one more time. So when tomorrow starts without you and you're not here to see, just remember that I'll always love you and no one can take your place.  So please just remember to watch out for me.

I love you with all my heart and miss you more than you know. I often wish for just one more day with you and imagine how it would be. I would tell you that I love you and ask you not to leave me as we have all our tomorrows with so many plans and things to do. So if my love for you could build a stairway and my memories a lane, I'd walk all the way to heaven to bring you back to me, but since that is impossible and cannot be, all I ask is that when tomorrow starts without you that you just always remember me.

Copyright © 2002 Marilyn Penrod. All rights reserved.