The last time I wrote something like this was in 2018. Two years later, a similar situation has prompted me to write something like this again. 

On Friday, June 19, 2020, another beautiful soul was taken home. She was taken just days after coming home from a Canoe trip with her mother and brother, taken just days after her father finished his last round of Chemo treatments and rung the bell as a cancer survivor. She was taken just days before Father's Day. 

I want to say that God has a plan, that he does things for a reason, but I cannot understand why he would take such a beautiful girl from a family who has gone through so much in the last year. When Covid-19 hit, she asked her employers to be laid off, so she wouldn't risk bringing anything home to her sick father. She was studying to be a nurse, studying to save lives, to change them. 

She was someone this world deserved to have just a little longer. She was beautiful, kind, strong, compassionate, and loving. She loved everyone around her and wanted to be your friend. Her smile lit up a room and her presence just made you a happier person than you were before she walked in. 

Although I did not know her personally, my life was touched by her because she was the daughter of my mom's greatest friend. She would tell me stories about what her friend had told her about her Birdie. I'll miss those stories. I'll miss seeing my mom come back happy from those lunches because she had laughed with her friend about their daughters. 

My heart goes out to Birdie's family, for the memories you cherish and for those that you never got to make. I'm praying for you and I'm hurting for you. No parent should have to outlive their child, no sibling should have to break down in front of a crowd over the loss of their best friend. 

If there was one thing I wish I could tell you is that she is with you and she always will be. She'll always be in your presence, in your hearts. You'll remember her with the little things, you'll never forget her and her legacy will live on. 

You lost a daughter, but as your son said it best, you gained a guardian angel. Someone to walk through the happiness and the tears with you, someone to watch out for you no matter what. Your Bridie lives on and she always will. 

I know things are tough and I know it will take a while for things to get better and for you to heal, but you'll get there in time. 

One of my favorite things to say to people in troubling times is The only way out of the fire is through it. I strongly believe in that today more than ever. 

We're here for you and we always will be. 

Birdie lives on through us. 

August 9, 1999, ~ June 19, 2020