Evelyn's Reach

 It is hard to put into words the impact all of you had on Colin and I over the last couple of days, but I didn’t want to wait in thanking you for what you did. 

The biggest fear that accompanies losing someone whose time here on earth was so short is the fear that the memory of them will also be short lived. Colin and I count each and every second, moment and memory with Evelyn, and still feel so robbed of getting to know her. We spent every single minute she was with us by her side, and it will never feel like enough. The days were so overwhelming that the memories become fuzzy, and it is such a scary realization to know that not every single second we cling onto will remain as clear as it once was in our minds. We beat ourselves up over the edges of memories fading, desperately trying to undo what time inevitably does. 

But, what always remains, is the core of those memories. The true emotion connected to them. The feeling of those moments. Those never dim. When we think on these feelings left behind by these memories, it brings us peace. It is in those feelings that we remember and honor Evelyn, because those feelings that she caused to last in us forever, as fresh as they day they were born, are who Evelyn was. 

Colin and I are in constant awe of how many of you hold this piece of Evelyn in your hearts and lives. The feeling she stirs in each and every one of you, is her. You may never have met here, or even seen her. You may not have known of her before she burst into this world, as feisty as anyone we’ve ever met. However, we feel so grateful to know that through this feeling she has invoked in you, that you all do, in fact, know our baby girl. 

That is who she was. Joy. Love. Warmth. Strength. Beauty. 

So, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for helping cast our biggest fear aside. Thank you for knowing our little, amazing Evelyn. Thank you for keeping her beside you as you continue walking your path. Thank you for reminding us that she is still here, spreading her reach further than we could have ever imagined. Thank you to you all of you, and thank you to Evelyn. 

Evelyn, you will never stop amazes us.