In Memory

It has been one year. One full year. 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, and millions of seconds since you became an angel. It was on this exact day last year that you opened your eyes, looked at this world one last time, squeezed my hand as hard as your body would allow, drew your final breath, closed your eyes, and peacefully slipped away.

You left, but your essence and spirit still permeates everything. The sound of your laughter, the twinkle in your eyes, the scent of your body, your huge smile and charm, the constant excitement in your voice, your gentle touch, your insatiable appetite for fun and, above all, your graceful, fun-loving, joke-telling, positive and always happy personality fills every day and every moment. You are everywhere.

You left, but you are still living. In my thoughts. In my memories. In my heart. And in the hearts and thoughts of so many others. We think of you, talk about you and tell stories of you. We wonder what you would do or how you would act in many situations. We chug beers and do shots in your honor. We retell your jokes and reminisce. We try to live and be happy like you would. Sometimes we cry, sometimes we smile, and sometimes we break out in laughter when we think of you. And we always miss you.

You are gone, but your legacy lives on. The legacy of honesty, loyalty, optimism and hope. The legacy of generosity, strength and kindness. The legacy of integrity, decency and selflessness. The legacy of love and laughter.

You were loved then. You are loved now. And you will always be loved.

P.S. Lest you worry about me, I have received more love over the last year than I deserve. Family and so many friends have stepped up for me in ways that I cannot even put into words. I am being taken care of. But I don’t need to tell you; you already know. You are watching.

I hope you enjoyed the up from the sky view of the Phillies' parade. We all thought about you during every game of the series, but were sure that you were up there watching, smiling and cheering!