Thank Goodness for Daylight Savings Time Change Day (dated 3/11/12)

by Richard Edfeldt

After Jacob's death, Karen created this blog to record insights in her grief journey.  I would periodically write my insights on notes posted to my Facebook page.  We feel it would be best served if we combined our efforts so I am beginning the process of copying those notes to this blog.  They won't be in chronological order but I will put the original date on each one. 

I have normally dreaded the day we make the change to daylight savings time each year because of the arduous task of changing the time pieces throughout the house. I hate changing all the clocks and watches ... and Karen has a bunch of watches. I especially hate to change the clocks in the cars. I always have to dig out the owner’s manual from the glove box to remind me which buttons to push in which order.

I have also hated losing that hour. But today I don’t mind the change to daylight savings time and the loss of that hour we suffer because it shortens this significant day.  This is Jacob’s birthday …. and it is no longer a day we get to celebrate, and give gifts, and have parties. It is now a day that brings sweet memories of such celebrations in the past and those memories are commingled with tears brimming over from our eyes due to latest reminder of our loss.

March 11 is now a day we dread to see on the calendar because it picks at the scar resulting from Jacob’s death.  The tears may not flow as often now as the days of not having Jacob in our lives lengthen. In the days leading up to these ‘special’ days you can feel the emotions bubbling closer to the surface. The scar is more tender as this day approaches. The tears will streak our faces on significant days like March 11. So I don’t mind at all that today is a shortened day.

Today Karen, Katie, and I will have to satisfy ourselves (and wishing Ben, Beth, Tucker, and Libby Kate were with us) by partaking in a ‘birthday meal’ at Pappasito’s without the very person for each we’ve gathered together.  Jacob loved Tex-Mex and so we will eat a ‘celebratory’ meal in his honor/memory. We will share stories, laugh, and cry as we remember Jacob’s life … his laugh, his smile, his zest for life, his impact on our lives.  And we will be thankful that the pain of loss that is especially evident on this day will be shortened by one merciful hour.