The sky put on a show on Maddie’s birthday.

11/11/11 sunset

11/11/11 sunset

I did my best to smile and celebrate Maddie. I spoke about her to anyone who would listen. I looked at pictures of her. And of course, we ate cream puffs and sang Happy Birthday.

creme puffs

creme puffs

creme puffs

Annie liked the cream puffs WAY more than she did last year.

The day after her birthday was harder. The day was rainy and cold. I cried a lot. I was mentally exhausted from powering through the day before. I was emotionally drained. I hate the day after…relief that the day has passed, mixed with guilt that I’m relieved, mixed with sadness. It’s a mess. A mess I am, admittedly, glad I won’t have to revisit for a year. Ugh.

Thank you to everyone who bought the song. We don’t have final numbers yet (all the different sales outlets have to report in, math is involved, it’s crazypants) but based on the song making the Top Ten on the Singer/Songwriter chart on both Amazon and iTunes, I think it’s safe to say we sold a lot. I am so touched – thank you all for helping Friends of Maddie support families in need!