...dedicated the day to my sister.

My little sister, Meagan, suddenly passed away 6 years ago at the age of 23. Today is her birthday. She would have been 30.

I took the day off and tried to honor Meagan in all the ways I could. However, there is no amount of honor to do her justice.

Meagan (my daughter and her namesake) and I made a birthday cake to share with my family (Meagan LOVED dessert), decorated the grave and danced crazy together and laughed, just like my sister would have. I'm sure she was smiling.

I know it makes people uncomfortable when people talk about the death of their loved ones, but I am human and the truth is - the loss of my sister has made a huge impact on who I am today. I don't want to ever stop talking about her. If I did, I feel like it would make her disappear even more. Instead, I would rather be proud of being Meagan's sister and to continue to try to live by her example.

Meagan was an inspiration. She lit up rooms when she entered. She danced whenever she wanted and didn't care what anyone thought. She gave the tightest hugs to make sure you knew she loved you. She was generous to a fault. She was a daughter, a sister, a fiance, a friend, a cousin, an aunt, a niece, a granddaughter, an elementary school teacher and she was here.

I know everyone says amazing things about people they loved that died - and they should. But Meagan truly was an angel on earth. Both her wake and funeral couldn't hold all the people that wanted to attend. Though it's been 6 1/2 years since Meagan passed, I will celebrate her every year until it's my time to go.

I'm still learning from Meagan and continue strive to be more like her, but the most important thing I learned from losing her is - everything can change in an instant. It really is important for you to let those you love know it.

I love you!
(Regularly scheduled blog topics will return tomorrow)