Seven years feels like yesterday.

    It's hard to believe that yesterday marked the seventh anniversary of your going home to heaven to reunite with the love of your life, but I want you to know that when you left, a void was created that can never be replaced.

    I'll never forget that fateful day that I left my house keys in my dorm room and needed to come over to borrow yours. I had planned on a visit anyway, but the situation prompted me to come over sooner in the day. I'm glad that I was there, but sad that I didn't understand the severity of the situation until later. At first, I thought you were sleeping, but the look on your face told me something was wrong. The look in your eyes and the urgency in your grasp is an image and a sadness that will haunt me forever. I wish I could have brought you some comfort in your time of need as you did so often for me.  The ensuing week was one of the worst of my life, but knowing that you were heading home has brought me great comfort. Time may heal pain, but on the day you left, you took a piece of my heart. It's a piece that always belonged to you as my Nanny, my family and my confidant.

    I'll always cherish the conversations we had about your childhood and how you grew into the strong, spunky and beloved woman that you were. The sound of your voice still rings in my ears, because some of my favorite memories involved sitting with you and talking - talking about today, talking about yesterday, talking about Papa and how he would drive you mad, but it didn't matter because you loved him with every fiber in your being. With these talks came life lessons and it's because of these lessons that you taught me to be strong and independent; to be spunky and fun; to be kind and to love from the tips of my fingers to the depths of my soul. You taught me to have faith in Christ and the Blessed Mother, and you taught me that the power of prayer can help conquer any roadblock that may come my way. The life lessons that you gave to me will always be present in the decisions that I make.

I love you today as much as I did then, and I hope that I have made you proud. Miss you always and forever.