Including Rhianna on our Holidays
It’s something you don’t really think about, missing a child and having a holiday.
But it is something that comes up every year.
When we go away we miss Rhianna.
I remember the first time we ever went away without Rhianna the first thing that Mr L and I noticed was that we walked into the caravan and there were four pegs and only three of us when there should have been four.
That stopped us in our tracks before we did anything else.
It was a holiday that was raw. We went away only a couple of months after Rhianna died and everything reminded us of her.
Now it isn’t as bad.
But we still think of her as we do every day.
When we went to Berlin, I wondered if she would like flying, what her favourite animal would be at the zoo.
When we are in the caravan it is always very clear that we would have a bigger caravan as we would need a five berth not a four.
But you wonder would you be going to the same places, would she have ridden the donkeys with her brother, would the caravan be full of teddies, and dolls rather than army stuff and board games. Things would be different with a young girl in the mix thats for sure.
The thoughts are always there.
We try to make sure our holidays are fun, but that they always include Rhianna too.
This is such a personal thing.
But for us we buy her something small where ever we go.
Whether that’s a little sign. A magnet or something else entirely.
We always search for something and have a little look for a present for Rhianna, the boys help and Mr L and I look too. We don’t make a big thing of it but we all have a look around in the shops to see if anything stands out as the perfect gift for Rhianna.
This last week we have been in Weymouth and we found a snow globe, which seems to be a favourite thing for us to buy Rhianna when we are away and a little shell turtle for her table.
They aren’t huge things.
They are small but significant trinkets that for us as a family mean she is included in the holiday, she is a part of it.
Where ever we are.