8 months is not a long time

8 months have gone by and 8 months later my heart still hurts. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about Sydney; her beautiful laugh, smile, giggle, her bow to match every outfit, and that spunkyness that she wore so well. 8 months can seem like a long time for other people, but for a grieving mother it's not long time at all, and feels like yesterday that she was here. 

I'm so grateful for all the support and sparklers I have this far, and continue to want to grow that number as the months go on. As time goes on I know it doesn't seem so fresh to others. I go through my everyday life as "Heather...the girl who lost her daughter" moving forward. I just wish at times people realized that the hurt is still there. One of my co-workers came up to me today and just gave me a big hug. She said, "I just want to hug you and know I'm always thinking of you". It's the little things that mean the most. It's the cards that are sent, it's the random messages, or just the simple hello that make me smile.

I want people to remember that I just lost my daughter 8 months ago. I might seem put together on the outside, but internally I'm a mess. My heart is mending, and will take a long time to heal.