Elly

I wanna tell you about my friend Elly. She moved to Laramie when we were 10, and she was the weirdest kid I'd ever met. She had this super long blonde hair that flowed down her back and she was hyper and read during recess. We didn't get along all the time, and I was a little too dark to see it right away but she had a light that seemed like it flowed out of her. Not to mention a killer singing voice.

Last April, just shy of her 24th birthday, Elly was diagnosed with cancer. It was agressive and scary, we didn't think she would lsat the week. But Elly never did back down from a fight. Six months later she was running a 5K and basically giving the middle finger to her doctors. When I saw her over Christmas she was thin, and a little weaker but the light was still there. She still wanted to talk about Supernatural and Leverage. She wanted to know if I'd run into any cool famous people in LA. She wanted to hear what music I was listening to and she was showing off her new leather jacket. We talked and caught up. I listened to her talk about all the traveling she wanted to do and the places she wanted to see. We ate a few Reeses (she always had some with her) and then I hugged her and told her how much I loved her before letting her go get ready for Christmas mass with her family. 

Elly died last night. The details seem to interest everyone else a lot more than they interest me. I care only that I lost a friend. I care that she'll never see 25, or go to Spain or Alaska, that she has all these days that she should have had that got stolen. And I care that I am a better person for having know her. She was a blessing in the purest sense of the word. 

I love you Elly. I will miss you so much. I'm about to put on Pirates of the Carribean and eat a whole bag of Reeses. Cuz I know you would like that. Thank you for every choir concert, every field trip, every lazy day watching tv in my basement. I love you. I love you.