Shayna Day 2025

Yesterday was a big milestone. 10 years, 3653 days since Shayna passed (the extra three days are because of three leap years.

Each year, Tywana, Kayla, and I spend June 24th together. We take off of work to have a day of reflection and, dare I say it, celebration.

Shayna was with us for 15 years and touched each of us in ways that echo on ten years later. From the day she was born, Shayna refused to be ignored. Her role was the baby of the family and it’s a role she cherished.

My day began with my six mile walk. It was a hot one. I put on Michael Jackson’s Place With No Name, Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is A Place on Earth, and then I cranked up Evanescence and listened to the album that got me through that first summer. From the crushing My Heart Is Broken and Lost In Paradise to the longing of Swimming Home. I worked up a good sweat and headed home. I did a little work then shut down the office for the day.

Tywana and Kayla went shopping as part of their day together. They didn’t really like for Shayna or me to go with them because we have totally different shopping styles. So, Tywana and Kayla went out, got sweet drinks, shopped, picked up some items to donate to the animal shelter, and went to the shelter. I watched movies while they did their thing.

The year Shayna passed, the neighbors started putting up purple ribbons on the stop signs near our house. I’m sure many who pass through wonder what they’re all about. Every year, I wonder if they’ll be refreshed the next year. It’s been a decade. It’s unrealistic to expect it to continue. Yet it did for one more year.

Then, we went to Costco to pick up Shayna’s favorite pizza and a new pair of shoes for me (see below). We had dessert because it’s not Shayna Day without a sweet treat to top it off.

People wished me a sign from Shayna. But I don’t dare ask because I don’t want to have my hopes dashed. Kayla and I are first borns. We’re not like Shayna who would always ask on the off chance we might say yes.

As the day drew to a close, I thought, “No sign today. But what did you expect? You barely left the house.” As Kayla was packing up her stuff to leave, I grabbed a roll of packing paper she was taking and walked her out to the car where we were greeted with this magnificent cloud. My engineer mind went to how this thing seemed to be lit from within. It was within an hour of sunset. So the sun was low in the sky to the West. This cloud was due East. I wondered what type of cloud it was. Tom would know. He majored in meteorology. Then, I let all of that go. This was our sign from Shayna today, even if it had a natural explanation. That cloud, on that day, at that time, was our sign. We would not have seen it if Kayla had left earlier or later.

Ten years. I’ve made it ten years. Today, I changed out my shoes. I walk six miles every day. My shoes typically last six months. So I’ve made it a tradition to change them on Christmas Day and on Shayna Day. I walk on, every day one day closer to our Sweet Reunion.