She gave him a small smile, remembering back all those years to that dreadful time of mourning. "It was a year," she admitted. "Even though I had my children to help me, it was still that complete cycle. I never understood it before, why the 'official' mourning time was a year, but I came to understand it very quickly. Every birthday, every annual celebration, every event that you normally celebrated with a beloved partner by your side was a reminder of them not being there. Christmas, and of course Thanksgiving, and our birthdays were the worst, but I made it, with the help of my brother Joel, who came to help me with things, and my wonderful kids, I made it."
She gave him a smile, the proof that she had in fact made it, and things that had been so painful were now simply memories of a life that had been lived.
"And I would love if you would come with me. None of my friends here share the same interest in it, which has probably also been part of the reason I never actually continued on to finding a club and participating, so some company would be wonderful."