Happy Birthday BFF

The bond between friends cannot be broken by chance; no interval of time or space can destroy it. Not even death itself can part true friends.  When she unexpectedly left us, a piece of my heart was forever broken

Brandy Corley is and always will be my best friend.  By the grace of God and our preschool director Mrs. Melvin putting us on the carpet together, me in the red square and her in the blue square, we became inseparable. She thought it was a great idea for us to be class buddies and we never looked back.  We did Pig Tails, Girl Scouts, Pink Nike Short Sets, summers in Campanella Park, Cheer Squad, Boyfriends, Learning to Drive, Late Night Party Line Calls, Soda Pop Club, Graduations, Babies, Careers... Everything together. We had 30 plus years of friendship, love and sisterhood. 

The moments in life that we had together can never be replaced. We smiled through our defeats, celebrated our victories, cried when we needed it and laughed until we had tears rolling down our faces.

I am truly saddened by her death… but from this sadness I have a feeling of gratitude that emerges. I feel honored to have known her and blessed that her passing serves as a reminder to me that my time on this beautiful earth is limited and that I should seize the opportunity I have to forgive easier, share more, explore the world, and love everyone around me. I can think of no greater way to honor her than to live this way. 

The weird, weird thing about devastating death is that life actually goes on. When you’re faced with a tragedy, a loss so huge that you have no idea how you can live through it, somehow, the world keeps turning, the seconds keep ticking.

The void within my soul is too deep to be filled but I know that God has a plan for all of us and my hope is that everyone take this time not to be sad but to celebrate her life and all that she did while here with us. 

I can't wait to see her again but until that day, I will keep her in my heart, speaking to her in my prayers and continue to love her as my best friend for life....

Bride Gets Walked Down The Aisle By A Man With Her Father’s Heart In Tearful Ceremony

A Pennsylvania bride who lost her father to tragedy 10 years ago found herself walking down the aisle with the man who received his heart.

Jeni Stepien was unable to hold back tears when she embraced Arthur Thomas for the first time Friday and felt her father’s heart beating inside him.

“Can you feel it?” Thomas asked her in a video taken by Pittsburgh TV station KDKA. She tearfully held his wrist and chest and quietly nodded.

Stepien’s father, Michael Stepien, was killed in a 2006 robbery when she was 23. After he spent 24 hours on life support, the family accepted the inevitable and donated his organs, Stepien told The Huffington Post.

KDKA

Jeni Stepien feels her late father’s heartbeat inside Arthur Thomas, the organ recipient.

At that time, Thomas, who Stepien’s family calls “Tom,” had been waiting nearly 10 years for a heart transplant at his home in New Jersey.

“He was going to die if he did not receive a new heart in the next several days,” Stepien told HuffPost via email Sunday. “Tom received my father’s heart within the next 48 hours.”

The Christmas following his transplant he wrote to Stepien’s family thanking them for what they had done.

The families kept in touch through letters and phone calls over the years but it wasn’t until they started planning Jeni Stepien’s wedding that she saw the perfect chance for them to meet.
“When my fiancé proposed, one of the first things I thought of was ‘but who will walk me down the aisle?’ I could think of nobody more meaningful than Tom,” she said. “My fiancé suggested I write him a letter; that way Tom would feel in no way obligated or pressured by my request.”

A few days after sending the letter she got a phone call, she said. Tom’s answer was yes. She met him for the first time on Friday.

“Meeting Tom was so incredible!” she said. “He is such a gracious and kind-hearted man. You could tell he was so thankful for his life, and that radiated from him.”

The decision to invite Thomas brought joy to her entire family, Stepien added.
“My mother was very touched by the idea also and thought it was a very appropriate gesture to honor my father. I knew how important it would be for her and my sister to receive this piece of closure by finally meeting Tom as well,” she said.

“I wanted to make the day special for everyone, not just for myself.”

In sharing her story, Stepien said she hopes it sends a message to others: Organ donors do matter.
“Organ donation can provide an opportunity for a second chance at life. It is an exceptional gift, one that is selfless and generous, and always appreciated by the recipient,” she said. “We were able to see how wonderfully Tom was progressing all of these years, simply thriving, and [that] in turn, helped us with our own grief.”

Grieving Bride's Photo Shoot In Late Fiancé's Honor Is Truly Bittersweet

A month before her wedding day, bride-to-be Lauren Reynolds' world was turned upside down. In October 2014, the 20-year-old's fiancé Tristin Woods was killed in a car accident.
"The day I found out Tristin passed away was the worst day of my life," Reynolds told The Huffington Post. "I was overcome with a complete darkness and fell to the ground, wailing."

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

On what would have been the couple's wedding day, Reynolds -- who is from Federal Way, Washington -- was with her best friend Emily and her photographer pal Stephanie Jarstad, discussing what to do with her wedding dress. They came up with the idea to do a memorial photo shoot to celebrate Tristin's life and the love they shared.

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

Stephanie Jarstad Photography Lauren and her best friend Emily. 

Together, they planned the emotional shoot for March 21, 2015 in Seattle.

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

"We shot in the first week of spring, surrounded by flowers to symbolize renewal, healing and rebirth," the photographer told HuffPost.

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

It rained the morning of the shoot but by the time they stepped outside, the clouds had parted and the sun was out.

"It was a mixture of peaceful reminiscing and somber longing," Jarstad said of the photo shoot. "We felt Tristin's spirit near. It felt like he parted the skies for Lauren's special day because we once we got home after the shoot, the rain started up again on cue."

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

"I stand in awe of Lauren's grace and strength for creating a beautiful tribute amidst her heartache," Jarstad continued. "I've never seen Lauren look more beautiful and she said she had never felt so beautiful before."

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

The grieving process has been a gradual one for Reynolds. She told The Huffington Post that her "world completely stopped" during those first few months after his death.

"I slept in my parents bed or on a mattress on their floor," she said. "For the first couple weeks my mom had to literally feed me, and put a straw in my mouth so I would drink. I couldn't do anything for myself. My living room looked like a forest with all of the flowers given to my family. I felt
empty."

In a blog post accompanying the photos on the photographer's website, Reynolds opened up about the pain of losing the love of her life so suddenly.

"On October 11, I didn’t just lose Tristin," she said. "I lost the life we’ll never live together, I lost all of the children we’ll never have and all of the grandchildren we’ll never get to spoil, all of the mornings to wake up to my husband’s smiling, loving face. I lost my other half."

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

The couple first met in December 2013 through a church-related potluck dinner.
"I was walking to my car, and he said, ‘Hey wait. I just wanted to tell you that you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,' Reynolds recounted in the video above. "I felt like I was in a movie. It was just perfect.”

At the time of his death, Tristin was 17 years old. On their wedding day, he and his bride would have been 18 and 19 years old, respectively. Reynolds acknowledged that they were young, but said that getting married was the right choice for them.

"Tristin and I fell in love right away," she told HuffPost. "There was no doubt in our minds that we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives. So we got engaged July 11, 2014 -- seven months after we met. We knew that marriage was the next step for us and there was no point in waiting until we were older. We had a good support system and we were in love, so it was an easy decision for us."

Jenn & Solomon Chau Wedding

Jenn & Solomon Chau Wedding Highlight Film by Boundless Weddings from Boundless Weddings on Vimeo.

How do you start a story about a man who was buried on his wedding day?

For now, I'll start with the facts. Solomon Chau died in his sleep on Aug. 17, 2015 — eight months after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
 
That was four days ago as of this writing.

This time last year, Chau and his beloved fiancee, Jennifer Carter, were looking forward to their wedding day, which was scheduled for Aug. 22, 2015.

That's tomorrow, as of this writing. It's hard to know the proper verb tense when you're talking about death. I mean that literally, though it is a strangely apt metaphor befitting of the subject matter.

The point is this: Aug. 22, 2015, is the day of Sol's funeral. In another world, it would have been the start of his married life with Jenn.

Jennifer Carter's wedding dress. Photo by Red Earth Photography. Used with permission.

I could start this story at the beginning, when Sol and Jenn first met.

According to Sol's obituary, it was pure happenstance that Jenn was visiting a friend at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, in October 2007 and that she would wind up at a house party celebrating Sol's 19th birthday.

It was less happenstance that Jenn would catch Sol's eye amidst the flurry of the evening. And it was absolutely deliberate when he took a more-than-three-hour bus ride around Lake Ontario during a snowstorm in December just to show up at her door and ask her out.

This is the love-conquers-all version, where the happy not-quite-a-couple-yet overcomes adversity — in this case, an actual storm — just to end up in each others' arms.

Jennifer and Solomon together. Photo taken from the GoFundMe campaign run by Solomon's childhood friend.

I could start their story somewhere in the middle, with the epic flash mob Sol used to ask Jenn to be his wife.

It was the spring of 2014, as the obituary tells it. Sol organized a flash mob in the plaza beneath Toronto's CN Tower, complete with dolphin balloons to match Jenn's tattoo in honor of her late sister.
There'd be an intermission, of course; a chance for the audience to catch their breath and revel in the couple's joyous day before the tragic ending in Act III.

Or I could begin closer to the end, with the day that Sol was diagnosed with cancer.

As explained in the couple's GoFundMe campaign, the news came in December 2014, and in those 48 frantic hours, Sol was diagnosed and rushed right into surgery. The doctors were able to successfully remove the tumor that was poisoning his liver. It was scary, sure, and Sol was weak. But then the New Year came, and things were looking up.
The tumor was gone. The cancer wasn't.

The couple's wedding rings. Photo by Red Earth Photography. Used with permission.

The truth is, no matter where I start the story, it still ends the same way: Sol died Aug. 17, 2015.

I wish I could tell you about the power of love, or Sol's miraculous recovery on their wedding day. But I told you up top that that wasn't how this story went. Real life is ugly, and cancer doesn't care for poetry or happy endings.

But what kind of storyteller would I be if I didn't save the best part of their story for last?

You see, Solomon Chau and Jennifer Carter did get to enjoy 128 precious days as husband and wife.

Jenn and Sol's first look on their wedding day. Photo by Red Earth Photography. Used with permission. 

It was March 2015 when Sol's cancer returned — just three months after his initial diagnosis and the emergency surgery they thought had been successful. This time, he and Jenn were told that the ending was inevitable, just as I told you.

Less than two weeks after Sol's fateful diagnosis, the city of Toronto rallied together behind the couple and surprised them with an unforgettable wedding on April 11, 2015.
 

Jenn and Sol with their bridal party. Photo by Red Earth Photography. Used with permission. 

In just three days, more than $50,000 was raised on GoFundMe to throw the couple a lavish wedding, and otherwise-expensive wedding vendors like Boundless Wedding video (who shared this story with me) and Red Earth Photography and Liberty Entertainment Group volunteered their services free of charge to give Sol and Jenn the happy day they deserved. The events of the day took place across Toronto, everywhere from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel to Toronto's picturesque Casa Loma castle and featured a brief reprise of Sol's flash-mob proposal.

All 70 guests kept their spirits high despite the tragic elephant in the room. Because sometimes, that's the only thing you can do.

And even though Sol was buried on the day his wedding was supposed to take place, Jenn will always have memories of their happy wedding day.

And I'll leave you with this, something to think about:

Some people joke about their " Kardash-iversary" — 73 days after the wedding, at which point their marriage has officially lasted longer than that of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. I was recently married, and instead, I'll be thinking about our Sol-iversary. That will be in October (coincidentally, on Sol's birthday), 128 days after our own wedding — the amount of time that Sol and Jenn had together, and how grateful we all should be for every single day.

At Upworthy, we tell stories for a better world.Like us on Facebook to get them first:

I didn't know of Solomon Chau until Thursday afternoon (which is today, or two days ago, depending how we're counting). I don't presume to know what legacy he would have liked to leave behind, and it would be a disservice if I wrote some cliche platitudes about life and love and death. What I can do is what I've done here, which is share his story, and hope that maybe Sol's story could bring some light into your life, too.

12 Heartfelt Ways To Include Lost Loved Ones In Your Wedding Day

Nothing compares to physically having all of your loved ones by your side on your wedding day. But by honoring deceased relatives and friends in a way that feels true to your relationship, it allows those people to be there in spirit.

Below are 12 sentimental ways to include them in your celebration.

• 1. Set up a photo display with a special message at the reception
   
  The Brauns via Ruffled 
   
• 2. Wrap the bouquets in ties he once wore 
   
  Zofia & Co.
   
• 3. Sew a cherished photo of that person into your wedding gown
   
  Lauren Balingit via Style Me Pretty 
   
• ...Or a handwritten note that you've held onto
   
  Janine Deanna Photography
• 4. Cut a piece out of a man's dress shirt and make it your 'something blue'
   
  Fawn Christiansen Photography via Bridal Guide
   
• 5. Hang tiny picture frame charms from your bridal bouquet 
   
   
  The Brauns
   
• ...Or choose a single photo
   
  Vesic Photography 
   
• 6. Create a simple bracelet using a loved one's wedding band
   
   
  By Way Of Ney
   
• 7. Carry a family heirloom, like this prayer book, with you down the aisle
   
  Hoffer Photography 
   
• 8. Wipe your happy tears with a loved one's handkerchief
   
  Mandy Fierens Photography 
   
• 9. Make a charitable donation in that person's name, in lieu of a wedding favor
   
   
  Zofia & Co.
   
• ...It's more meaningful than any small favor you could give
   
  Zofia & Co.
   
• 10. Wear a loved one's wedding ring in addition to your own
   
   
  Mandy Fierens Photography 
   
• 11. Reserve a seat for someone who couldn't be there with a single flower
   
  Vesic Photography 
   
• ...Or save a place for them with one of their prized possessions
   
   
  Heavenly Blooms
   
• 12. Hold a framed photo of that person during the ceremony
   
  Del Sol Photography

American Sniper Chris Kyle's Wife Pens Love Letter On Their Anniversary: I'll 'Love You All The Days Of My Life'

“Today, I have a choice. I can bury myself under the covers and acknowledge the pain of missing you and mourn the future anniversaries without you. Or, I can celebrate never having a day without you in my heart because you loved me enough to leave me a lifetime of memories and beauty."

Those are some the words penned by Taya Kyle on March 16, the day that would’ve marked 13 years of marriage to her husband, the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

Kyle, who was credited with being the most lethal sniper in U.S. history, was shot and killed at a Texas gun range in 2013. His life story became the subject of the Clint Eastwood film “American Sniper,” which was based on the best-selling autobiography of the same name.

To mark their wedding anniversary, Taya posted the poignant love letter on Facebook. It has since gone viral, with more than 530,000 likes.
Read it here:

Letter to Chris:

Hey babe,

It's 13 years today. Our wedding anniversary. I miss you and I love you. I feel you in my heart and soul so strongly. I am more blessed to have been your wife than anything else in my life.

Today, I am thinking of our new relationship, when you rented a boutique hotel room in San Diego and surprised me with 2 dozen long stem pink roses when we arrived. You got us tickets to a local improv type play. I knew then I was the luckiest girl in the world to be with tough, romantic, loving you.

I am thinking of the way you loved to blow the budget on gifts for me with that huge smile on your face and eyes lit up...so much so that my heart would leap out of my chest as I was simultaneously shocked and delighted even when I had no idea how we would afford it. I'm sorry I sometimes voiced my concern about the price.

I am also thinking of how grateful I finally learned how to not balk at the money spent on your generous gifts. I am thinking of November 2012 when you sent me a dozen long stem red roses with a card that said "Just Because" and how you had them delivered even though we were home together that day. You just wanted to surprise me. You did and it made my day like you made so many others.
Today, I have a choice. I can bury myself under the covers and acknowledge the pain of missing you and mourn the future anniversaries without you. Or, I can celebrate never having a day without you in my heart because you loved me enough to leave me a lifetime of memories and beauty. I am somewhere in between today.

And if I didn't tell you enough in life, then let me tell you today... YOU Chris Kyle, are IT for me.

YOU are the package deal who makes hanging on worth it. 

I loved you yesterday, I love you now, and I will love you all the days of my life.

Thank you for marrying me, even if I'm the one who had to ask you. smile emoticon
T

A Man Arranged for His Wife to Receive a Valentine's Day Bouquet Every Year After His Death

If you needed a reminder that love knows no bounds, this sweet story is just what you need. One Wyoming man went to great lengths to make sure his wife knew how much he loved her for the rest of her life, even if he was no longer around to tell her himself.

According to Time, Jim Golay, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor one year ago, knew that he wouldn't be able to surprise his wife on Valentine's Day for much longer. So to make sure the romantic day was still special for her, Golay worked with a local florist to ensure his wife would still receive a bouquet every year on February 14.

When a bundle of flowers arrived at Shelley Golay's home shortly before Valentine's Day, the widow was shocked to see the note explained they were from her now-deceased husband.


Golay posted the above photo of her multi-color rose arrangement on Facebook, showcasing the poignant note that reads, "Happy Valentine's Day Honey. Stay Strong! Yours Forever, Love Jim."
At first Golay thought the beautiful blooms couldn't actually be from her husband. "I thought the kids sent the flowers to begin with," she said. But when she called the florist in town, she learned that her husband made a deal with florist Jessie Row to make sure his wife received an arrangement every year.

"Basically he had called and set it up before he passed, and what it's going to be is just, every Valentine's Day just, some of her favorite flowers, the assorted roses, mixed colors, things like that, every day until she dies," Row told Fox Denver.

While blown away by her husband's amazing gesture, even Golay admitted that this thoughtful behavior was something typical of her husband. "It was true love and you just don't find that very often, you know, the fairy tale romance, the knight in shining armor, you just don't find that," Golay told Fox. "And even though we didn't get the fairy tale ending, it was amazing. He's such an amazing man and he just can love beyond boundaries, there is no boundaries with him. Even in death, he's just amazing."

Brides Are Now Turning Their Wedding Dresses Into Burial Gowns For Babies Who Have Died In The NICU

Instead of letting their wedding dresses gather dust for decades, some brides are donating them to the Angel Gown Program, where seamstresses will turn them into gowns for babies in the NICU who have died.

Holly D. Gray / Via nicuhelpinghands.org

 

“NICU Helping Hands started offering bereavement gowns to families on a very small scale in the fall of 2013 after we saw this need in hospitals where we were running our other support programs for NICU families,” Lisa R. Grubbs, President of NICU Helping Hands, told BuzzFeed Life. “Our program is an acknowledgement that their child mattered even in death — that the life had been meaningful regardless of how long the child lived.”

Grubbs said the garment itself is symbolic.

Holly D. Gray / Via nicuhelpinghands.org

 

“A wedding gown donated by a bride from the happiest day of her life, sewn by a volunteer into a one of a kind custom gown for a baby that has died or will die… importance, honor, respect, caring, and love are embodied in this gift that is freely given to anyone that needs it,” she said.

In 2014, the organization received more than 8000 wedding gowns.

Holly D. Gray / Via nicuhelpinghands.org

 

After a wedding gown is donated, one of 700 volunteer seamstresses across the United States will spend hours re-fashioning it.

“It isn’t a quick and easy process,” Grubbs said. “We have developed very strict guidelines to ensure that we provide the best garment to every family and hospital we serve. So the making of our garments is tedious, exacting, and not fast.”

The gowns are always provided at no cost to the families, and NICU Helping Hands relies on donations to cover packaging and mailing costs. (If you’re interested in donating, you can find more information here.)

The stories Grubbs shared about the Angel Gown Program are incredibly moving.

Holly D. Gray / Via nicuhelpinghands.org

 

“We have had the honor of custom designing a garment for conjoined infants — a garment for this situation is not available anywhere, but where there is a need we seek to fill it,” she said. “We have worked with individual families who knew they were going to lose their baby as soon as the baby was born and we used their personal wedding gown to create the garment that their precious child would be clothed in. So many stories but each has a common thread: it’s about recognizing a need for compassion and saying ‘yes we will help you.’”

Grubbs said the program gives parents permission to grieve openly and honor the life of their child.

Holly D. Gray / Via nicuhelpinghands.org

 

“Grief is not a moment or an event — it is a process, and a long, difficult one,” she said. “Grief is always difficult, but when someone feels that nobody understands or cares or values the reason for their grief, the process can be complicated with feelings of anger, frustration, loneliness.”

“Providing this garment, along with caring and support gives validation to the parent and also sets a more positive foundation for this journey.”