Candle in the Wind

I am sad today thinking about someone I knew who passed away last week: Angie Whitmore. Angie was a security guard in our building for several years, and she was sweet and kind to everyone. I would greet her every morning when I walked George, and she would say, "Hey Michele!" right back. She had a great voice.

She was very young, but ovarian cancer took her life last Tuesday. Her funeral is this afternoon, which I guess is why she is on my mind. I guess it takes a tragedy like this one-- someone leaving your life so abruptly, never to return -- that makes you thankful for every day you have on this earth. Angie's little girl is not even three years old yet.

As we go into the holiday season, I am glad to have family and friends in my own life, people who know me so well and are always there for me if I need them. January of 2010 was one of the hardest months of my life, losing Izzie and then my Grandma just a few days later, and I know I could not have gotten through it without my husband, parents, sisters, friends and in-laws... and George, of course. I guess if you can learn anything from such sadness, it's that life is short, so live each day to the fullest.

Izzie, me and Grandma in 2008