July 6th will always be the Blackest Day in our calendar year for obvious reasons!
I’m sure prior to our family tragedy on July 6th 2012, I looked at the year from January to December, as in how many days to Christmas, Summer holidays etc. but since 2012 life revolves pretty much around July 6th. I suppose in a word it’s grief!
We had an absolute magical day on July 5th, going around Torquay as tourists. We did the bus ride, which Baba Oisin loved, followed by ramblings and no doubt the highlight of his day, was the family disco!! Con and I spent at least 2 hours while our precious little man moved from partner to partner. I fondly remember nodding at Con to take my place while precious Little Man moved along. No doubt precious Little Man had well over 10 dancing partners by the end of the evening. We went back to the apartment, a tired and smiling bunch, put precious Little Man to bed and played our usual 45 card game and zzzz. Thank God I wasn’t to know, it was to be our last night snuggled up together!
On the following morning, July 6th, Con, Baba Oisín and I had the most magical morning introducing Oisín to the swimming pool! (and I’m pretty sure Little Lady loved it too, from what I can recall) We had real fun, Our Beautiful Precious Little Man was utterly fascinated that a bath could be so big, it was hilarious, in a beautiful way. While I remember him being a tad scared initially in the baby pool, hanging onto Mom, within minutes he was quite independent. And minutes later with the comfort of armbands and his adoring dad he was ‘swimming’ in the big pool, proud out! It was and is a picture embedded in my heart, truly special.
After our pool adventure we returned to our apartment for silly me to have a quick shower to take the chlorine out of my then ‘blonde’ hair. Whilst I was silly showering Con took the most amazing photos of Baba, which to me are ‘My Lotto’.
Then we headed downstairs to have our lunch in the restaurant before heading to the indoor playcentre for Baba Oisín. As you all probably know, tragically we never got there!
This year as always the week’s anniversary leading up to our tragic crash is one which is ‘bitter sweet’ reliving our last moments together as a family and then the harsh reality of writing a memorandum confirming it all! You might well say, what’s the memorandum all about? I want that Con and my Baba will never be forgotten, they were here for a reason and have left their mark and we miss them beyond words everyday!
So many beautiful chapters of our lives pressed pause on July 6th 2012 at 2.47pm and tragically for us were never able to be unpaused, replayed or recorded 😦
July 6th for me has and possibly will always be a ‘shut down’ day for me, for all the what if’s and maybe if’s, but I am truly blessed to have the most amazing family who make the day as ‘normal’ as possible, while remembering its significance for us all.
I think in reality it’s a day we all dread all year as it means that our beauties, Con, Baba Oisín and Little Lady are gone so much longer!
Where There Is Life There Is Hope 