Dear Nicole,

You always seemed to write the best blogs. I always looked forward to hearing about what great service you were doing for our community. The best part about knowing you all these years was how much you grew. When I first met you, we were taking PSC 101 together, and always promised to study together, but never really got around to it. That had always been a foundation of our friendship, and one of my deepest regrets, we didn’t always make time to visit. As time went by, and drama grew with our boys and their problems, I always knew you would listen and help me problem solve. I loved planning our european adventure together, I am so sorry we didn’t go. You were just so much fun, and I always looked forward to your visits. It’s sort of hard to believe all of this, I’ve spent all year planning on how I would cope if my sister died, but you’ve just taken me by surprise. It’s so unfair, because young people simply shouldn’t die, especially when you have so much potential. Nicole, you are beautiful even when you have hippy hair that you can’t control. You are fun, even when everyone around you seemed to be grouchy. You are funny, and great to be around. You will be missed so much.

I hope you heard these things everyday of your life, and I hope you rest easy knowing that you are loved.

Sarah