04/10/2026
Five years has felt like five lifetimes. The magnitude of a loss like this can’t be healed by time past. There is never a spontaneous, single moment of “getting over” - there are only moments spent each day of “getting through”.
Grief is never bound to the few days, weeks, or months after losing someone you love. It became sewn into the fabric of our being the moment that loss was experienced on April 10th, 2021. It became something we must wear every single day, tied to us for a lifetime.
Grief is not just missing the person they were when they passed - it’s the anger of not getting to see everything they would have become. Joey had so much life within him. He was ambitious and witty. He was kind and considerate. He possessed traits that would have undeniably taken him far in life. With Joey, there’s no question of “what if”. We know that he’d be successful in anything he tried, and he’d be leading each day with love and kindness for others.
Grief is complicated and messy and agonizing. But the raw feelings of longing for and loving Joey so deeply are what connects us to him forever. Love changes shape and evolves throughout our lives - these past five years have shown us that grief is just another form of love.
Joey - we will continue to see you in everything we do. We will continue to cherish the signs you send us and the memories you gave us. There will never be a moment where we’re not thinking of you and missing you. I don’t think there will ever come a day where we understand why this had to happen. But until we get to see you again, you will continue to be our guiding light in everything we do. We love you more, Joey.💚
