The past few weeks have been really rough for my family and I. We have faced the hardest adversity that we ever have- the loss of my loving, kind-hearted cousin, Olivia (Miller) Cunningham. Liv’s life was taken from her on April 16, 2019, in a Tennessee shooting. Growing up, it was always the seven cousins. Myself and my two sisters, Mackenzie and Stephanie, as well as Olivia, and her three siblings, Abby, Hannah, and Fox. From Christmas to Easter, birthdays, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July celebrations, we always got together as a family. We all shared so many memories. As the seven of us, we shared many laughs, tears, memories, inside jokes, arguments, but most importantly, love. Though it is only going to be six of us cousins throughout the rest of our time here on earth, we are so blessed to have the faith that we have to see our beautiful cousin and sister in Heaven one day. The last time I saw Liv, we were at our grandparents’ house helping them cut up a tree that had fallen down in their backyard. That was the day I had told Liv about my new journey with the World Race. She was so happy for me. She said that this was a perfect opportunity for me. Liv and I connected a lot with our mission work. We both had a heart for international missions and I remember sitting down and talking about our experiences with each other. She always supported my trips one way or another. For my El Salvador mission trip we were trying to get socks and undergarments donated to us to take and hand out to the detention centers we were going to be visiting. I remember getting a message from Liv and she told me that she had bought a bunch of socks and undergarments for my trip and she was going to bring them back with her when she came home to visit. When she came over, she explained that she forgot them back at her house in York, PA but she bought some other ones here to give to me. She was so selfless and so eager to give and to help others in every way possible. She always has been, and always will be, such an inspiration to me and everyone else that she has touched throughout her short 24 years on this earth. I am very sad to think that I will not be able to share my experiences with her after my trip with the World Race Semester, as I have with every other trip. However, it is very relieving to know that I won’t be needing to share my experiences with her because she will be able to see what all I do as she looks down from above. I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to laugh with her that day at our gram’s, to tell her about my new journey with the World Race, to hug her, and to tell her that I love her. You never know when the last “goodbye” may be and how much time we have left on this Earth. So make sure Christ is in your heart, hold your loved ones close and never go a day without telling them that you love them. Be kind always and show the kind of love and selflessness that Liv always did, and continues to do through her legacy. Heaven gained a special one…I love you Liv.
