Happy Birthday!

She would have turned 20 years old today, and I'm sorry, but the world hasn't gotten any brighter since she left.  I keep waiting for it to.  Part of me keeps waiting for her to burst through my front door also, but it's never going to happen.  I trust the Lord that gradually my world will get a little brighter again without her, but right now, if it's happening, it's kinda like watching a plant grow--the increments of brightness are too small to see.  Happening!  But too small to see.

Forgive me if I ruin this song for someone, but every time I hear the song If I Die Young by The Band Perry, I start belting it out with tears running down my face as if it was her anthem.  And I smile every time the line in the song sings, "I've had just enough time."  Because I think she'd agree, she had just enough time to experience the loves and the joys of this life, but now it all pales in comparison to where she's dancing and loving now.

Honestly, I'm a bit jealous.  Not to say that life is all downhill after your twenties, not at all, but the first quarter she lived definitely has many of the good highs, lots of fond memories, and it was filled with fun.  No, I know she didn't want to go, but I think she'd agree she had "just enough time."

Happy Birthday beautiful girl!  Beautiful friend.  This is all the words I have today.  I'm tapped out.  Could sure use one of your hugs.  I'd settle for just hearing you laugh.  But I'll have to hold on to the hope that I will see you again.  One day.  When the good Lord is done wringing me out and using me for His purposes, I'm gonna come looking for you, and you better have plenty of stories to tell me because we will have a lifetime of catching up to do.