A bouquet of beautiful flowers is a witness of an immeasurable love that seemed never-ending.
Although almost three months had passed since she was gone, my tears still fell every day as I remembered how a tragic accident happened in a blink due to a vehicle that bumped her on the post where she was standing, which led to her sudden death.
Have you experienced celebrating a birthday at the cemetery?
Today, we celebrated a birthday of a loved one with both happiness and sadness in our hearts.
We gathered at the cemetery for the 25th birthday of my late sister鈥檚 boyfriend. Even if my sister is not with us anymore, we consistently place a high value on what mattered most to her life when she was still alive, and Charles would always be a part of it.
Walking down memory lane four days ago, they must have been together for five years, but she departed early at 24.
During their anniversary, we also went to the cemetery as he brought a bouquet and my sister鈥檚 favorite foods when she was still alive.
Here are some memories about their anniversary four days ago.
He brought yummy burgers, triple moist chocolate cake, peach mango pies, sweet delicacies, burger steak, and drinks.
Whenever I see a bouquet from her boyfriend, I feel she is still alive because even before, there was no day that her boyfriend would bring flowers and gifts for her, even if they had been together for more than four years.
I know how Charles loved my sister even before, not to mention that over her dead body, he dared to kiss her at the coffin. It left a heavy and broken heart for all of us. And there was no moment that he did not visit her. Every day, he kept coming to the graveyard, even if he would travel from the city as we were living in a rural area.
Today, we are celebrating his 25th birthday with his family and me.
Last year, during his birthday, he celebrated it at home, and we ordered his favorite Ube cake.
I ordered Ube cake today because this is what my sister wanted together with the caramel cake and black forest cake.
My mother also shared what Erika wanted to buy for Charles when she was still alive. She told my Mother to purchase shirts for him in green and black colors. That was just a simple talk, but my mother recalled it.
So, this was my mother鈥檚 gift for him, wrapped in a paper bag.
We arrived at the cemetery at three o鈥檆lock in the afternoon to set up the table and arrange the flowers.
At four o鈥檆lock in the afternoon, Charles and his family arrived while bringing food, drinks, and flowers.
It was just a simple birthday, but it was so memorable.
We prepared food for his birthday, and we shared it with his family and friends.
We fixed the table beside the grave of my sister. Even if it is painful, we let it be a happy birthday by placing balloons and all the birthday kinds of stuff.
When we were singing a happy birthday song and offering a prayer for Charles, we were all emotional. It was a heavy moment, and we just let tears fall from our eyes.
I captured a great memory. Charles, her boyfriend, was holding her picture and a bouquet for her.
We have shared the food with a smile, but we always bring the pain because it is tough to forget her.
Suddenly, he went to the table to get some foods to offer to Erika. He was one of a kind.
The sunset I captured earlier reminded me of something that makes my heart heavy daily.
Sunsets were one of the most beautiful parts of her life when she was still alive.
Meanwhile, I went to my sister's grave. I offered a prayer and talked to her in silence. I know she was listening and seeing me from the heavens.
And then, I took shots of her beautiful bouquets given by his loving boyfriend, Charles.
How lovely and colorful the flowers were. Looking at the flowers, I could see how special my sister was to his boyfriend鈥檚 life even if she was gone.
It always broke my heart into pieces remembering how deep is his love for my late sister.
Even if we cannot still recover from the pain that we were experiencing, how much more he has been her world since the day that day met. All I could say is his love was immeasurable.
The celebration was a happy birthday because we were all gathered together, but it was a sad birthday because my sister was not around physically.
Despite the pain in our hearts, it was still a happy birthday. And it was a memorable one.
How I wish she were still alive to celebrate more memorable moments with our family, but she had joined in heaven in a beautiful paradise.
Perhaps it was a sad but memorable birthday.
Disclaimer: All texts and pictures are my own unless otherwise stated.