kysmet wrote: 

So precious!

Not that we have EVER stuck to any thread topic around here, but still, *bump*

 betterdaze wrote: 

 Antigone wrote: 

Much better.  Thanks.

 BillnDollarBaby wrote: 
No! YOU??

Hope you're feeling better.

 Antigone wrote: 
  I was being a smart ass.

 triskele wrote: 
Same here...you took the words right out of my mouth.

 BillnDollarBaby wrote: 
We do have zoos, you know! And nature shows!

 Antigone wrote: 
How often are you going to see a gharial in VA?

Thank you, Bug for helping us all learn more about gharials ... I won't ever see one without thinking of you.

 BlueHeronDruid wrote: 
    I wish I were closer to Ohio.  I wish I could go to the mass.

I'm so sorry, I should have read the lines below, please forgive my intrusiveness.  Blessings to the beautiful life that shined here

 BlueHeronDruid wrote: 
Well put.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
I like to think it's a sweeter, happier place for her having been here. And hang on to that.

The world is surely a darker, meaner place without you in it, little flower.

i will admit to being almost completely unfamiliar with beanie, and her family, until this weekend. 
i wasn't utterly clueless....i saw bits, here and there, about kiersten, about the adoption of a sister, about beanie's mom....but i haven't really gotten to know beanie very well, and so haven't really been involved in her life.

but....now.....seeing the outpouring of love for beanie and her family, through this wonderful community, i feel closer.  i feel like i can offer a piece of my heart, to try to lend comfort to a stranger.

kiersten is now a bright angel for her loved ones, and her light, and legacy, will guide them through the rest of their lives, until they meet again.  for that, i say thank you, Bug....

 Jacksonstat wrote: 

I enjoyed reading what your mother wrote about you: your precocity, your grace, your kindness. Thank you for warming all our hearts. 

i only knew you through the bright light that shines in your mother's eyes. thank you for that. and for reminding me how precious time and love is.

 Coaxial wrote: 
There are a lot of heartfelt, beautiful words being shared, and I started this in hope this might be a repository for some, so Beanie can read them as she feels like it. Not the conversational or logistical things, but the deeper ones, directed more as a testament to a beautiful girl and her family. In the end, gratitude seems to me to be the only thing which lasts and makes sense.

I never personally met Kiersten, but through Beanie's words, I felt that I knew her. Kevin and I certainly felt that we would meet her, one day, and looked forward to it. I still think we will, and I hope this thread is a gift, although bittersweet, to a woman who has done so much for this community.