Debi, after my husband's passing I would go and stand in our closet and bury my face in his shirts because I could still smell his scent on them. Sometimes I'd take his cologne and spray it in there just to be able to get the feeling that he was close by. So many things I did that I thought were "odd" but now realize that it was just my way of coping. There are no wrong ways to cope.

One thing that surprised me......and nobody mentioned it to me.....were the "grief bursts". I'd be having a relatively good day and something would trigger my memory or otherwise remind me of something that had to do with my husband and that was all it took. Wherever I was I'd have a mini-meltdown. I'll never forget once in the line at the post office the man in front of me had a package with a return address on it and it had the same first name as my hubby. Something as simple as that. I had to leave. I was fine after a couple of minutes but random things will trigger you for a while. And it's usually things that only mean something to you personally.

I'm looking forward to your pictures of the garden, too. What a sweet gesture for your neighbors to do. Sounds like you have lots of good friends.