Happy Birthday, Honey!
Pepper Scott
Today is Terry’s birthday.
His second birthday in Heaven.
I still find it a little strange to say that, because Terry never really felt like someone who could be gone. He left this physical world, yes, but he never left me. He never left his furbaby Jolie. He never left his home. His presence is still tucked into the corners of everyday life, like sunlight coming through a window when you aren’t expecting it.
Terry always loved his birthday. He was one of those people who genuinely looked forward to it. There was excitement, a little sparkle, and probably some very specific ideas about how the day should go. The funny thing is, we were always terrible at buying gifts for each other.
Not because we didn’t care.
Actually, because we had everything we needed.
We had each other.
Terry always said that was the greatest gift he could ever have. And honestly, he was right. The best things in life usually aren’t wrapped in paper or tied with a bow. They are the quiet mornings, the familiar routines, the inside jokes nobody else understands, and the feeling of knowing you are exactly where you belong.
Today, I honored him the best way I knew how. I gathered the people who loved him, and we celebrated. We prayed. We told stories. We laughed. We said his name more times in two hours than most people hear their names in weeks. That felt right. It felt like him.
And then, gently, we let him rest.
That part carried some weight. Not because we weren't ready, but because saying rest in peace to someone who lived as fully as Terry did requires you to really mean it. He earned it. Years of pain that he carried with a quiet dignity that still takes my breath away. If peace is a place, he has found it. I choose to believe he has settled in nicely. Probably already knows everyone's name.
So here is this year's birthday gift, Honey. Not a thing you can hold. Not something I had to wrap or overthink. Just this: rest. Real rest. The deep, uninterrupted kind. No more pain. No more fighting. Just light, and whatever beautiful thing comes with it.
Jolie and I are holding down the home front. Our friends have wrapped around us like something warm and unhurried, and the kindness of people who loved Terry has been, more than once, the thing that steadied me.
I hope Terry likes this birthday gift.
The gift of peace.
He deserves that.
And there is also so much gratitude.
Because what a gift it was to have him.
What a gift it was to share a life together.
The seasons change, the years move forward, and the world keeps turning, but love has its own rhythm. It doesn’t disappear when someone leaves. It settles into the roots. It becomes part of the landscape.
I look at this photo of Terry, and I see so much of who he was. His humor. His style. His spirit. The person who could make a regular day feel like something worth remembering.
Today is his birthday.
So we celebrate him.
We celebrate the memories, the laughter, the love, and the beautiful home we created together.
Rest in light, Honey.
You are home now.
And you are free. ❤️
