I’m so very sorry for your loss. Hugs to you and your family. The hurt never leaves but it eases with time, promise.
We lost my brother to an accident 5 years ago in September, 2 days after we got home from our Disney trip. It takes a little while to wrap your heart and your head around it. The year after I read someone here I believe said she blew bubbles at a special spot and just reflected on who she had lost. I loved it, so we did that when we went. My brother loved Germany, so we found a nice spot to enjoy a beer (which would have made him laugh because I hate beer), blew some bubbles and shed a tear or two thinking of him.
The caricature idea is awesome, I never heard of that before. You could see if they could maybe draw him over your children’s shoulders watching over them. <3
I’m so sorry for your loss, and I love the idea of the caricature and the Make A Wish idea that others suggested.
We are going on a trip that was supposed to be my son’s 21st birthday trip this year. We told him about the trip on his 19th birthday, and he was murdered three months later. We are going to do a portrait session with a Disney photographer and plan to bring a framed photo of him to incorporate into some of those photos so that it will be a family portrait with all of us. I think you could do something similar - if you bring a photo of your dad with you and have someone hold it in some of your photos in front of Disney landmarks. Just make sure that the photo is big enough, and that you have it framed or matted so that it doesn’t get curled or bent. (You may want to take the glass out of the frame to avoid breakage in your park bag and glare from the sun, too.)
I hope you have an enjoyable trip. We took our younger kids five months after the murder, and, although my husband and I had some misty moments, Disney was a great place for them to live in the moment and get some relief from the grief they had been carrying - it helped us remember and forget, if that makes sense.
Wow, I am so sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine how you dealt with it. Thank you for your kind words as well and for your suggestion. I love your idea and we really may do something like that too. Big hugs!
I just wanted to take a second to thank everybody for their kind words, heartfelt condolences and amazing suggestions! I appreciate all of it. This forum is so great for so many reasons. My siblings and I were sorting through some old photos and I came across this gem from around 1983, and had to share it here with my fellow Disney lovers. Apparently my obsession began a long time ago, lol! That is me with my dad in the photo.
