February 9th ~ Unforgettable

Have you ever known someone whose smile makes everyone around them smile? Whose laughter is so engaging that it makes you laugh? Whose happiness is obvious and contagious?

That describes my friend D.

Today she lost her battle with cancer. She leaves behind a husband who knew she lit the stars and two wonderful young children who have her face super-imposed on theirs, and her personality radiates from them.

I can't imagine never seeing her again.

It wasn't that we were close friends, but we were more than acquaintances. There was warmth and shared humor between us every time we spoke.

Her family is large and close..thankfully. They will surround her husband and their children and tenderly wrap them up. As will all of their friends.

I feel close to her sister-in-law (the two of them grew up together and were closer than any two sisters).....and was at a complete loss today when I saw her. I hugged her and asked if she wanted to talk... she didn't. She couldn't. She was trying to hold it together...probably for her young daughter...but maybe also for herself. It's so hard to see someone's heart broken...and to not be able to do anything.

I don't want advice on what I could have or should have done. There is no perfect answer in a situation like this. I know that.

But I still feel such a sense of grief and helplessness. It's awful.

I keep putting myself in her shoes. And in the shoes of her children. And her husband.

I just want to blanket myself with my family and my friends and hold on to all of you.