The night Dad died, Miko, Missy and I stayed close to Mom. We knew she needed us there. Dad had needed us earlier in the day, but we then needed to devote our attention to Mom. The hospice lady told Mom that she was about in embark on what they called the Year of Firsts. A few days later, Mom had her first New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day without Dad. She has since survived her first birthday and Valentine’s Day without him. Last night she hosted her first dinner party alone. It was a small group of just three of her friends who had often been here for dinner. She did her thing – table cloth in the dinning room, cloth napkins, pretty plates, fancy glasses and the special silverware. (The last may have been because the every day things were in the dishwasher and that water line is currently frozen.) I hate that she closes the French doors so Miko and I could not get in to inspect the things on the table. Miko tried to sneak in and onto the table during dinner, but Mom removed her and closed the door again. Before that door closed, however, I heard one of her friends say, “I feel Harry’s energy here with us. I picture him in his chair at the end of the table.” I was surprised that she didn’t cry. When we discussed it later, she did have tears when she told me that by only have the four of them at the table, no one needed to sit in his chair. She may have hosted her first dinner party without him, but she isn’t ready for a full table of friends. That will be a first for another day.