Many people who have lost a loved one discover that anniversaries, birthdays and holidays can be triggers for grief. I have found this to be very true as we have tried to navigate through life without our daughter. Special dates on the calendar often fill me with dread and intensify my emotional turmoil; her absence is all the more noticeable on those days.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the unexpected triggers. I was caught off guard by the overwhelming emotion that can accompany simple reminders of Kayln. I found myself crying in the grocery store where we always shopped with her – I felt silly but I couldn’t help it. One day I glanced out the window and saw a car go by that looked like hers, and I actually thought it was her driving by for a moment. Then of course I realized it couldn’t be her, and that painful reality hit me all over again.

Now I know that it is normal to experience these triggers. The next time I catch a glimpse of a young blonde girl and momentarily think it is her, I will know that I am not going crazy. I understand now that it is simply a natural response to a reminder of my daughter, and a common reality of the grief experience.