God takes people out of our lives for unknown reasons; He calls people home that aren't finished here on Earth. We never honestly know why things happen this way, and why people have to die. Death isn't the sad part though. The sincerely sad part about losing someone so treasured to us is learning to live without them. It's learning how to fill that void in your life, how to fill that emptiness every time you take a breath that they will never take again.

Everyone experiences death, loss, and passing. Death is arguably the most difficult reality anyone will ever face in their lives. Something unique happens when we go through a loss. We begin to realize all the times we took for granted, and we grasp how often we lived our lives without even acknowledging their presence in our lives. We don't begin to notice this until their company is gone, and that is when we start to recognize how much they truly mean to us. How much they impacted our lives.

Raegan Barnhart was absolutely no exception to any of this. To know Raegan was to love Raegan. Her presence was always felt, and her laughter was always heard. She easily left her mark on every member of Delta Gamma here at Ole Miss.

Prayers are sent to the Barnhart family and all of my Delta Gamma sisters at this time. She was an incredible girl who is watching over each one of us today. She knew she was loved and for that, we know she loved us. And to everyone reading, hug your family and embrace your friends; life is such a precious, fragile gift that can be taken from us any day. But for those who knew Raegan, I leave you with something J.K. Rowling wrote that speaks wonders, "“Those we love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch.”

ITB