If there’s one thing that will never leave me, it’s the sound of your laugh. It was like all of the glittery light inside of you would escape your lips, and for just a second, you’d remind us all that you were made of warm love.

No matter what, we always knew that Auntie Cathy would be on a flight soon to visit her California Family, and that as soon as she walked in the door, we could exhale and start a collective vacation. You were the home everybody needed. You were the nourishment we were missing.

One day, I told you about a heartbreak. A man who took my love and put it in his back pocket as a back-up plan. I couldn’t figure out how you could love someone so hard, while they carelessly left you dismantled. You looked at me, and with a voice as light as it was powerful, you said to me:

“You don’t know your worth.”

I swallowed it. I was angry. I was hurt. And then I realized that you gave me a gift. Those words continue to echo, permeating all the areas of my life, and they remind me of everything that we come from. Those words remind me of the ancestors who built our foundation so that we could live the way we desire, the way we deserve.

For my ancestors, I will not aim for lower than my aspirations. For my ancestors, I will not walk this earth with restrictions.

For you, I will live like I know my value. For you, I will carry a love legacy.

See you in the hummingbirds.
See you in the sky.
See you in my dreams.

I love you.