My Daughter, Ali

by Suzanne Liederman
(Phoenix, AZ)

On November 20, 2011, I will be going to the cemetery with some of my friends, for the unveiling of my daughter, Alison's, grave stone. I can hardly believe she has been there for nearly 2 years. The closer I get to Sunday, the faster the tears fall. She was crossing the street on a sunny, Saturday afternoon, and then I got a call from the hospital telling me I should come down; and oh, did I have a friend who could come with me? That call was the beginning of the turmoil and grief. Late that night, early the next morning without regaining consciousness, Alison died. It was Nov. 22, 2009. She was 28. I felt the life go out of me.....I was there when she took her first breath, and I now watched as she took her last!!! SOOO Tragic and heart-wrenching!! It took months before I stopped crying in public, sometimes for no apparent reason. With time, it has gotten easier to cope, but the loss will, of course, NEVER change. Parents are NOT supposed to bury their children. And the feeling that she just wasn't here long enough will never go away.