Cindy McCain Commemorates 40th Wedding Anniversary with Late Husband John McCain: 'I Miss You'

"Although my heart is still broken into a million pieces, I'm trying to stay strong for the children, the grandchildren and the country," Cindy McCain wrote

Cindy and John Mccain with family. Photo: Cindy McCain/Instagram

Cindy McCain is commemorating a special milestone with her late husband John McCain.

On Sunday, which would have been their 40th wedding anniversary, Cindy shared a touching tribute to her husband, who died in 2018, a year after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

“Today would have been our 40th wedding anniversary. John I hope you know how much I miss you,” Cindy wrote on social media, alongside a sweet throwback image of the couple holding two of their children while standing side-by-side.

“Every day we had together was such a gift. Although my heart is still broken into a million pieces, I’m trying to stay strong for the children, the grandchildren and the country,” she added. “The sun is shining today, the grass is green and the birds are singing here in our beloved Hidden Valley. Somehow I think you know that though. I love you very much! Happy Anniversary my love.”

Their daughter Meghan McCain, who is expecting her first child, also shared an emotional message about her father. “631 days,” she wrote.”The world went bats— insane when you left it. Miss you every day. But I miss you the most on Sunday.

In a moving first-person piece for PEOPLE last year, a year after his death, Cindy reflected on the unforgettable place her late husband will always have in his family’s heart.

“Our heaviest grief has subsided, which I’m sure would have prompted John to wisecrack, ‘It’s about time,’ ” she wrote. “It was a struggle at times to reach this point. I was so accustomed to sharing life with John, there were days when I felt overwhelmed by his absence, and the habits and little problems of ordinary life seemed a challenge.”

“But you learn it’s okay to not be okay every day. You learn to live with a broken heart, and the bad days become fewer, and the time in between richer and more meaningful,” she continued. “He occupied too huge a space in our lives ever to stop missing him entirely. But he expected us to get on with life and with the purposes that invest our lives with meaning and value.”

RELATED VIDEO: John McCain's Widow Cindy Speaks Out a Year After His Death: 'You Learn to Live with a Broken Heart'

Cindy, who has been staying at home in Arizona amid the coronavirus pandemic, has also honored her late husband several times with a “Quarantine Cocktail.”

“Tonight’s Quarantine Cocktail is an Absolute Elyx Dirty Martini,” Cindy wrote on Instagram in March, adding, “Elyx was my husband’s only vodka he would drink.”

Last month, she also honored John with an “extra special” drink.

“Tonight’s drink is extra special because we chose to have a cocktail in front of a memorial spot for John,” she wrote. Tonight’s Quarantine Cocktail is a Man O’ War. Heres to you Johnny!”