We lived with a magical creature. She came into our lives quite unexpectedly, though it seems silly to have to point that out, since how often do we actually expect someone to enter our lives out of the blue, much less a magical creature? So, she walked, quite literally, into our home, took a quick look around, and apparently approving, settled right in. And there she stayed through days both mundane and magical: through dinners with family; kids’ birthday parties; hot summer days; rushed school days; holidays; days filled with laughter; ones filled with anger and tears; and even changes of venue, so to speak. She inhabited our life and became an intrinsic aspect of it. 

Her instinct to comfort was unparalleled (though at times it seemed uncertain if the comforting was needed at that exact moment). She seemed intuitively drawn to whoever needed her most. Somehow she always knew. And even if she didn’t actually know, she was always in the right place to offer her affection and sage advice: that the only thing that matters in this moment is sharing your love with those who mean so much to you. No silly arguments--ones where you eventually can’t remember the origin--made up worries, or other fleeting problems were ever as important as that time spent with her looking right into your eyes with a serene look on her face, letting you know she was there out of love. And isn’t that really all there is? 

Quiet by nature, she could be almost invisible at times. But quiet should never be mistaken for meek. The youngest of four left on their own at a young age, she was also the scrappiest, possessing a nature that would never allow her to give up. She was our good luck charm, our protector. No truly bad things could happen as long as she was around. 

She taught us all so much - or at least we’d like to think so. She came into our lives when we didn’t even realize we needed her. And sadly, left us much sooner than we were ready to see her go (though would that time have ever come?) Our hope, having had her share herself with us so selflessly, is that she left this life knowing how much she was loved. We will always miss her.