Seventeen Years

In almost every picture of the two of us, we have our faces squished together. She really was my best friend. There for me, no matter what. It didn’t matter what mood I was in or how bad I had messed up. She loved me unconditionally and more than I deserved. More than I understood.

The best advice I ever got in learning to process and heal from my grief was to be thankful for the time I had with her rather than to focus on how early I lost her. Not everyone gets a mom like her. I’m so thankful that I did. She paved the way and I work every day to make her proud of the woman she raised.

Missing her horribly. 17 years since I heard her laugh, saw her smile, or squished my face next to hers.