Sunday, July 12, 2009

One year ago today

Honestly, I don't know that I can say much more than that. It has certainly been the worst year of my life, and yet every second of it is precious. Having Nancy in my heart lends me strength in difficult circumstances, and her shining examples of patience and attention have given me a roadmap for how to be a better mother and friend.

Why does this suburban housewife have such a lasting impact? If you ever met her, you know - she was larger than life, and embraced life with a passion and intensity I have rarely known. She really cared about people and embodied that caring in word and deed. She was not in any way perfect, but her flaws were also identified, embraced and celebrated.

So even though I grieve, I know that she lived her short time on earth extremely well. Her legacy lives on in the dozens of friends, hundreds of people touched by her story, the present and future women we will help with Nancy's Butterfly Fund, and of course, in her beautiful daughters and her family in Canada. Those children continue to be held in Nancy's "tunnel of love."

Peace to all who grieve with me on this day. Lift a glass to Nancy and to yourself, it's what she would have wanted.

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