Goodbye

Early this morning the world lost a very special woman. If you never had the chance to meet her, you are surely missing one of the worlds most brilliant smiles, one of the warmest hearts and one of the most genuine friends to have graced our earth. And this morning, she lost a long and hard battle with the most evil form of cancer.

From left to right: Mom & Sherry

I'm sure I knew Sherry in utero. She and my mom were best friends, sisters even, from the age of 13. However, one of my first and fondest memories of our Sherry is from one of her visits from Canada where she would arrive laden with Smarties and after drenching us with hugs and kisses would ask us to relive the past few months so she knew every detail of our lives.

She was the only one who could take a splinter out of my finger without me flinching and the only one with whom my mom ever smiled so much.

She was an angel, and the way her and my mom could light up a room when they were together is the single biggest tragedy of our losing Sherry.

Everyone deals with losing someone differently. And although you cannot see the tears in their hearts, it does not mean that they aren't in terrible pain.

The reason for this post is to memorialize Sherry in the only way I know how, with words. I only ask that in her honor we take a step back and value the individual way in which each person mourns to respect what we all must do when we lose such a beloved friend.

To my mom I wish strength and love to guide her through these awful days and take solace in knowing that my wonderful dad is there to support her. I only wish I could send a hug across the country...

I pray that we all remember to cherish what is near and dear while we have it, because at the end of the day our memories are how we keep loved ones alive.

She was entirely too young, with entirely too much life to live, and will be remembered by friends and family as the brilliant light that shines so brightly in our hearts.

Goodbye Sherry. I know that you are in a better place now with no more pain and I know that when I see you again we will dance and smile and talk as if no time had passed at all. I love you!