Four Candles for the Queen of the Universe

My friend, Debby, the Debutaunt - the self-proclaimed Queen of the Universe, passed away today.

I got the news on twitter and sent condolences and then looked over some of the photos I have of her. Grief then overwhelmed me as I realized the hole that she left in me - I guess part of me has been waiting for her Instant Message to joke about kicking cancer's ass again and we would swap stories and laughs just like we used to do.

She is the bravest woman I have ever met, and her family is an amazing family. She has a beautiful daughter whom i pray will remember always just how many lives her mom touched and made better because of her smile.

The four candles represent our grief, our courage, our memories and our love for her. Celebrating her life in this way helped me get through tonight, and i pray that her family be comforted as well - she touched and helped so many people.

I'm just one of them.

[edited to add that I wrote a bit more at merewisdom.org/2009/05/four-candles-for-the-queen-of-the-...]