Your smile was vibrant, your laugh was contagious, your love was tangible, and your passion for serving others was alive and on fire. Our bunks at camp were right next to each other and I loved listening to stories every night about how your day went. You weren’t afraid to speak your mind and you stood firm on what you believed.
I’m struggling to even process what happened and the fact that this world has an empty spot where you should be. As I look at all the sweet pictures people post of you I feel the heaviness of your absence.
I hope you knew that
-you were loved
-you mattered
-kids felt loved by you
-your passion was beautiful to witness
-you left an impact on the people around you
-you’ll be missed
As I process through and mourn the loss of you, the thought keeps going through my head that I never want to feel regret of a lost friendship again. I hope you knew all these things, but I regret that I didn’t tell you. I regret that I allowed time and space to fill our friendship instead of reaching out and loving you.
So, If you are reading this, know that you are important and loved. Your life matters. If we aren’t close and we don’t talk, but you need me, I promise My phone is always on. Reach out to me. I might not know what to say, but I’m happy to sit with you through the hard things.
Let’s not live with regrets. Let’s live life to the fullest and love those around us with an extra measure today. Tell them you love them. Tell them you care.
So Shelby, your time on earth is done. I fully believe that God looked at you and said “well done my good and faithful servant”. You left a legacy of love behind and you’ll be missed.
See ya later Shelby. You done good kid. You done good.
