04/06/2026
Today, my son PJ would have turned 26 years old. ššļø
People often say that time makes it better⦠but the truth is, it doesnāt. Time doesnāt heal this kind of wound. You simply learn how to carry it. You learn how to breathe through the pain. You learn how to keep moving forward while a part of your heart is forever missing.
Losing a child, especially to murder, changes you permanently. It reshapes the way you see the world, the way you love, and the way you protect the people who mean everything to you. There is a constant fear that lingers⦠a heightened awareness⦠an unspoken prayer that your other children never experience the same fate. It forces you into a protective mode that never turns off. EVER!!!!
One of the hardest parts is something no one prepares you for. As the years pass, the memory of their perfect face can begin to fade in your mind, yet the images connected to the tragedy remain vivid and unrelenting. That reality is painful beyond words. It is a battle between holding on to beautiful memories and fighting away the ones you never asked for.
But even in the middle of grief, there is light. ⨠PJās beautiful daughter, who was barely a year old when he was taken from us, carries his spirit in the most incredible way. When I look at her, I see him. I feel him. I see his smile, his energy, his presence. He lives through her. Every time I see her, my heart feels happy and sad at the exact same time. She is both a reminder of what I lost and a blessing that reminds me that love never dies.
This picture is one of the last two pictures I took with him before he was murdered, and I hold onto moments like this with everything in me. Because love doesnāt disappear. A motherās love doesnāt stop. A bond like ours doesnāt break⦠it simply transforms.
Today, I donāt just remember PJ, I celebrate him! I celebrate the love he gave, the joy he brought, and the legacy he continues to live through his daughter and through every life he touched.
Grief may never leave⦠but neither does love. ā¤ļø
āEven when tragedy tries to silence a life, love continues to echo through generations. My son may be gone from my sight, but he will never be gone from my purpose.ā
ā Ms. Decembre āBoss Ladyā Pierce