A Letter from Heather

Dear Michelle,
This picture brings a huge smile to my face! You seemed to make it your personal duty to ensure that people felt welcomed and had fun in your presence. We would go to NY for family reunions and you would make sure to take us out for good pizza, Italian ice, and a view of the Atlantic. You would visit us in Richmond and make plans for us while you were there…we were always active with you Michelle…you brought the life out in people.

Rich and I decided to move to Charlotte, NC after having lived in Richmond for 10+ years. You told us that you had friends in the area and would make plans so that we could all get together and meet people. Now, a lot of people say things like this…but time goes by, people get busy, and it never happens. Not so with you, Michelle. Two weeks after Rich and I moved, you called and again…made plans to make us feel welcome in our new town.

This day we went with you and your friends out on the lake. We were having a lot of fun and everybody was trying to wakeboard. It was really amusing because everyone was having a difficult time staying up for more than 3 seconds. Everyone had given it a go except for you and me. Someone said, “Who’s next?” I emphatically replied, “NOT ME”…you, however, said in your nonchalant way, “I’ll go”…and you went. You rode that wakeboard like you had been doing it your entire life. So effortlessly, you hit bumps in the water…no problem…several minutes went by…we started doing circles trying to throw you…no problem…more time went by. You were just chillin’ out there in the water…on a wakeboard…riding the waves. I am convinced that you merely stopped because you were getting tired…not because it got too hard for you. Michelle, you could do anything!

You went into motherhood just as naturally as you did riding the waves. You were a first time mom, but it seemed like you had been a mother forever. I found you to be so calm, peaceful, and patient when it came to mothering Cassidy. I often think of you as I mother my son now, there is so much that can be learned from the memories of your being.

You left quite an impression on so many to have lived a brief 29 years. I know I am not alone in saying that you enter my life on a daily basis. Although the pain of your loss has been immeasurable, the gift of having known you holds a value that cannot be underestimated. You will live forever through your daughter’s eyes, in the sighting of ladybugs, whenever a beautiful woman is spotted, whenever I hear the name “Michelle”, when the wind blows on a beautiful day…and… in countless hearts.

Thank you for your time with us on earth…
I love you,
Heather