hello old friend

Time seems to be just flying by anymore. Since I was last here to write , we suffered the loss of three dear and close friends. Someone selfishly decided to take their lives from us and murdered them. Heather, her sister Lisa and Heather's sweet daughter Avery who was only three years old.
Heather was a friend of my son. While he was away in the army, she would call me weekly to check in with me. ask if there was anything that I needed, or if she could help out with my 5 year old granddaughter who was living with me. She was one of those people who could light up a room with her smile. Here was a single mother of two beautiful little girls, and who always found time for those she cared about. When it would be time for the girls birthdays, she always made them big celebrations, making sure that each child who attended had a memorable time.
It was her way, making every person feel special. She would call me a couple of weeks before the party and say hey Mom...im coming to pick up Anna and keep her for the weekend. I would tell her how much trouble that would be, that she had enough to worry about with the party and all the kids coming ...but no...she would insist ...its no problem ...she would tell me how much she enjoyed having Anna with her and how she knew that I could use the break. "Go have some fun", she would tell me. I would chuckle and tell her that it should be me doing that for her. It never ceased to amaze me how considerate and giving she was. I never worried about Anna when she was with her, knowing that she was being looked after with love.
A man who wanted Heather for himself, decided if he couldnt have her ....no one else would.
He brutally stabbed her , her sister , and sweet innocent Avery to death. It was stunning to all of us who were touched by her life. He left Melody without her mother, her aunt and her sister.
How? Why? It is so unfair. But then life sometimes is just that. And this isnt about the idiocy of it all. This is about Heather.
Today I want to celebrate the lives of Heather, Lisa and Avery......
I am grateful that they touched my life. I am grateful to have known them. And I will carry the love and caring they showed with me the rest of my life. I am grateful to Heathers dad for being such a wonderful father and for sharing his remarkable daughters with us all.
Today hug your child, your aunt , your mother.....or just give someone that maybe you havent taken the time to tell how much they mean to you ..one great big hug. And remember the girl, who loved beyond her years...and touched so many with her tender way.