About a year and a half ago, my cousin and I were chatting at a family party. I told her I needed an outlet besides work and parenting and was planning to start this blog. She loved the idea! She was so supportive.
Of course I wanted her opinion. She worked at a farm stand when she was a teenager. When I thought about farm stands, I often thought about her.
As soon as I published my very first post, I texted her.
She was living out on the West Coast then. Within an hour, my first little blue WordPress notice popped up on my phone. “meaghan.elizabeth.burns is now following you!”
On her birthday, she posted this comment:
The love of family. I thought about that comment many times in those early days. It was just so encouraging. I hope you all have someone cheering you on in your life and your smallest accomplishments, like I had Meggers.
She was my first follower. And now she is gone.
I’m staring at her comment today because it is so kind, so positive, so thoughtful. It keeps her alive a little bit. I am not going to write about her death. If you can handle reading something very heartbreaking, you can search for the news.
Meaghan Burns of South Deerfield, Massachusetts: born August 25, 1995 – died May 4, 2019
Today, I want to remember her bright, shining 23 years of living. I want to memorialize the little, everyday moments we had with her.
Like the time she went on her phone and followed her cousin’s blog.
Like when she took time on her last birthday to write a comment. It meant a lot then. But now, oh my God. It takes the breath out of me. I love her so much.
My aunt, uncle and her little sister wrote a touching obituary for her. Here’s a link.