We can’t even imagine what Vanessa Bryant must be going through right now, what with Tuesday being the one-year anniversary of the deaths of her husband Kobe and 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a tragic helicopter crash.
On Monday night, just hours before the clock struck midnight to mark the first anniversary, the mourning 38-year-old mother and widow took to Instagram with a powerful new post reflecting on everything the last year has sent her way.
Related: Vanessa Shares Heartfelt Video Of Daughter Capri Remembering Her Late Father
The new IG pic showed a letter the grieving widow had received from one of Gianna’s best friends — a girl named Aubrey. In the letter, “Aubz” shared memories of her late friend and gave Vanessa renewed hope in the support of loved ones as she continues to deal with this horrible tragedy.
The mourning woman wrote in the caption (below):
“Today I received this sweet letter from one of Gianna’s best friends, Aubrey. I love you Aubz (as my Gigi would call you). Thank you so much for beautifully sharing some of your memories of my Gigi with me and allowing me to share them here on my ig.”
And in a heartbreaking moment, Vanessa went on to ponder the seeming randomness of the tragedy itself:
“I will never understand why/how this tragedy could’ve happened to such beautiful, kind and amazing human beings. It still doesn’t seem real.”
Our hearts… The letter itself is a real tear-jerker, too.
At one point, Aubrey writes of how Vanessa raised her children (below):
“You did it right Mrs. Bryant, and we are all eternally grateful to you.”
Wow… Yep, that’ll get us right to crying. So sad! Here’s the full letter (below):
Vanessa’s strength is so admirable.
We can’t even imagine the resilience it takes to go through something like this in the first place, if only to have to relive it in private moments and public spectacles again and again throughout the year.
Related: Fans Can’t Believe Kobe Was Snubbed From Emmys ‘In Memoriam’ Segment
She hasn’t done it alone, though. According to ET, an insider close to Vanessa and the girls — Natalia, 18 (pictured above with Kobe, Gianna, and Vanessa), Bianka, 4, and Capri, 1 — reveals that family and friends have really continued to step up in Kobe’s absence, helping them cope with the unimaginable loss.
The source said:
“Vanessa and people close to her plan to celebrate the one-year anniversary privately and reminisce on their time with [Kobe and Gianna]. Vanessa and her daughters have gotten stronger over the past year but there are days when it’s much harder for them as it comes in waves.”
No kidding… It’s unclear whether anything special is planned for Tuesday’s one-year anniversary of the accident — though we are sure that NBA teams will find their own special way to honor the basketball star and his daughter during tonight’s slate of games.
The insider noted that Vanessa still has some “plans”in development for something special in the future, too:
“Vanessa plans to continue to honor Kobe and Gianna’s legacy. She has some projects in the works to do so.”
Interesting. We look forward to seeing what that might be! Can U believe it’s been one year since the helicopter crash, Perezcious readers? Seems like forever ago, and also kind of like yesterday. Wow. And what a year it’s been in that time, too.
Still thinking of all the victims and their friends, families, and loved ones…
[Image via FayesVision/WENN]
The post Vanessa Bryant Reflects On Kobe & Gianna's Deaths One Year Ago: 'It Still Doesn't Seem Real' appeared first on Perez Hilton.