Money can not fill the hole left by losing someone you love. It can, however, make everything else in your life a little easier. I have been unbelievably grateful to the many people who supported Frank, Sofia and me during Frank’s illness and after his death. Friends made dinner for us and bought us generous gifts and laughed with us and cried with us. In the last month of his life, Frank had constant nausea, and often only wanted to eat in restaurants or take-out, because it was very predictable. There have countless other little ways having extra money has helped me since Frank has been gone. Here are some of the things I’ve used the money for:

• To send Frank’s remains to North Carolina to a body farm, where he will particpate in a decomposition study and then have his bones prepared to be mounted into a skeleton;
• To frame around 100 pieces of Frank’s art;
• To get over 200 pieces of art professionally imaged, to display on this site and to assemble into a printed book to give to family and friends;
• To print cards with Frank’s work on them for his memorial.

Then there are the things I’ve used the money for that are more mundane and yet crucial. I’ve:

• Paid the rent (until I moved in with my mom);
• Bought two nursing bras and three nursing shirts;
• Bought three pairs of leggings that will hopefully tide me over until I can fit into my prepregnancy pants again;
• Bought two new pairs of glasses;
• Visited a good friend in Canada for my first birthday without Frank, and again over what would have been his 44th birthday.
• Generally not stressed out about money. When no one was available to make me dinner but I was too distraught and/or busy with the baby to cook, I went out to eat. When I wanted to buy Sofia some warm pants and sweaters for the coming winter, I did so, even if she didn’t need need need them.

So thank you again and again for helping to support me through this extremely rough time.