Once again, as that difficult time of the year for us approaches, we find ourselves looking back on the years since we lost our son, SPC Kevin Wessel, to the war in Iraq. Last month marked 20 years since he was taken from us.
The early years were difficult to navigate, even with the support of amazing family and friends. Fortunately, those challenging years were also filled with new discoveries and positive experiences.
One of those discoveries was the annual Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi ceremony. It’s an annual event that occurs on Memorial Day that we look forward to every year, despite the inherent sadness of the occasion the day holds for us.
For us, the overwhelming feeling of love and sense of shared emotions that we experienced as we released our first lanterns were (and continue to be) cathartic and healing…