40 days

40th day -- Has it already been 40 days? Why is the pain still there, still fresh? Jesus went to Heaven after 40 days so for of us this will be your last day and you will be up there looking from above instead of here with us.But even though you are not going to be here any more in my heart I will always love and hold you. I guess I should be happy because now you are going to be with Him, you are going to be in good hands. You won't feel pain and you will be with other angels.

We are going to pray tonight for you. Dinner and prayer tonight for my Alanna with family and close friends. Mommy will again have to hold her tears so please help Mommy.

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I thought of you today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday, and days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. All I have are memories and a picture in a frame. Your memory is a keepsake, from which I'll never part. God has you in His arms. I have you in my heart. #Alannas-40-days

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Information I've found about 40 days:

When someone dies, we traditionally perform the memorial on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th days following the repose (counting the day of death as the first day), as well as on the yearly anniversary. The 3rd day is in honor of the Trinity, the 9th in honor of the nine ranks of angels with whom we all hope to be numbered, and the 40th day is a symbol of cleansing and perfection.

The symbolic use of the number 40 is a recurrent number in both the Old and New Testament. God caused it to rain for 40 days and 40 nights to cleanse the earth in the time of Noah; the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years to prepare themselves to enter the Promised Land; Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days before beginning his ministry. As Jesus was taken to Heaven on the 40th day after resurrection, then, according to the Orthodox canon, the soul's arrival to God is celebrated on the 40th day after the person's death.

In other traditions, Heaven was believed to have 40 gates. After death, the soul had to walk from gate to gate for six weeks and give away one sin at every gate, returning home to sleep every now and then -- sometimes as a butterfly, as believed by some people. After that, the soul was to be granted a place in Heaven. From a psychological standpoint, the 40-day commemoration is important, for it takes about six weeks for a person to begin to really comprehend the death of a loved one.

In practice, the 3rd-day commemoration is usually the funeral service itself. The 9th-day commemoration, in most cases, is observed with a prayer of the rosary followed by a recitation of the litany. The 40th day is often observed with a meal following the service. This commemoration should, if at all possible, take place on the 40th day itself, but often is served on a Saturday or Sunday after Liturgy so that as many of the family and friends can take part as possible. The annual commemoration of the day of death is likewise a very solemn event, especially the 1st, 5th, and 10th anniversaries. These 40-day and yearly commemorations are very important and should always be held.