This article is dedicated to John Patrick Crowley, a beautiful soul who was taken far too soon.
The moment the news gets broken to you, it's like a piece of you is gone. To realize that you, who were so special and I shared many laughs and memories with, is gone. You were too young, too free-spirited, too loved.
I just want to let you know that we can all still feel you here with us, each and every day. That you are still a person who I want to share my deepest darkest secrets with and the person who I want to call at 2 A.M. if I am upset about some stupid problem. You still affect my life in the best way.
You are not forgotten, don't think that. You have touched too many people with your jokes or your heart-to-hearts. You have taught us to love fiercely and don't sweat the small stuff. Your life has taught us how to forgive and cherish the little things. To never take one second for granted, to live like we were dying.
To us, you are still everything. You are the reason that the sun shines every day. You are the reason why we want to get up in the morning.
Yes, you are no longer physically here, but do not think your memory just brings pure sadness. We laugh when we think of the dumb thing we used to do together. We cry tears of joy when we think of the trouble you got into. We smile when we think of your loving embraces.
You will be the person who is standing next to me while I say "I do". You will be the person I tell my children about, the crazy kid from my college years. You will be the person who I know would make fun of me when I am gray and wrinkly. You will be one of the people I think of when I pass on.
Many people never got to meet you, because life was cut shorter than expected, but to the people who did meet you just know we loved every minute we spent with you. Even if we were mad at you, fighting, or even not on speaking terms, we still loved you with everything we had in us.
To the people who did not get to meet you, they now hear about you and instantly fall in love with your personality. They laugh with us even though they did not first-hand experience the memory. They cry with us when we are feeling a little down that you are no longer with us.
We had to say goodbye far too soon to you. We do not get to see where you will end up in this life, to see the person you end up with, to see the beautiful children we know you would have had. We do not get that pleasure of seeing the happiness you created in many people, but we do get to see how you touched our hearts with your memory.
You are no longer here walking this Earth, but you are in our hearts. Your death has opened our eyes to a world that is much bigger than any of us, it brought many different people together. Your memory will always live through the people who knew you the best in life, it will serve as a guide to them.
Just know that the years may come and go, but we will never stop loving you or thinking about you. You are forever embedded into us. We love you unconditionally and we miss you more than you know. Fly high and be at peace.
