It is your birthday, and I am missing you more than most days. I'm sitting here remembering some of the wonderful memories of past birthdays that we shared over our many years together. My favorite memory of you I think are those times when we'd wake up in the morning, sleepy eyed and a little grumbly, but you were always willing to snuggle with me for a few minutes before getting up to go fix the coffee. Perhaps the most comforting thing in the whole wide world was sitting with you at my side, listenting to you breath, watching you race through the crossword puzzle, testing your brain. And damn, when you would smile at me it didn't matter what "ugly" I carried inside... it just vanished... nothing seemed to matter in that moment. I've had a bit of a tough few weeks. Things aren't going exactly as I would like them to and that frustrates me a bit. I have been encouraged to do everything that I know which gives me peace... nature, music, wandering through my pictures of you, reading, praying, alone time to remember... and especially writing to you... but what I would really love the most is to have one more morning with YOU by my side. You didn't even know how powerful you were just being on this planet. You were straight-up love and beauty and I was so fortunate to have you in my life. You were a true reflection of our creator! Happy Birthday!