To my Guardian Angel,

Although we have all found that you have left us too soon in the physical sense, you are around us every day and in everything we do. I see you in the cardinals that we found on Easter morning, the butterflies that appear every spring when the weather starts to get warm, in cups of hot chocolate and even the extra whipped cream that I put on chocolate sundaes.

There are so many "I love yous" that I had left to say, but more importantly, I didn't get to say the "thank yous" that you truly deserve for being such a huge part of my life and for watching over me endlessly.

Thank you for teaching me not to get hung up over a boy that couldn't recognize my beauty, and for telling me that my frizzy natural hair looked better than the hair that took me an hour to flat iron.

Thank you for showing me that Ramen noodles (and ice cream sundaes, and hot chocolate and everything for that matter ...) are more fun when eaten out of funky mugs from Route 66.

Thank you for always sneaking me dessert when my mom told me no, and for always buying me peach pie from random farm stands you came across because I told you how much I liked it when I was seven.

Thank you for belting lyrics to "My Girl" with me in the car, even though we had already done so four other times in that one car ride. You always had the nicest singing voice that I could listen to all day, even though Poppop would get sick of hearing "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day ..." for the seventh time in a row.

Most importantly, thank you for teaching me the beauty of a smile. I can still hear your laugh when I tell stories of our endless camper trips, our backyard barbecues, and the time you put baking soda in the apple pie instead of flour. You have a laugh full of soul and love for life, and you encourage me to smile even in the hardest times, as I am always strong just like you were you were for so long.

I know you are watching over me with that same beautiful smile that I can always see on sunny days; and I know never to drive faster than you can fly while watching over me. Until we meet again, I love you forever and you are always the sunshine on my cloudy days.

Love always,

Your Granddaughter