Just a couple days after graduating college, MB was in a fatal car accident and this world lost someone irreplaceable. She was one of my best friends in college and only a day younger than me. I don't think there will be a year when I won't think of her on my birthday and miss her great laugh and incredible voice.
Each year that passes, it gets a little easier but sometimes a person doesn't even know how many parts of their life is touched by someone until they lose them. The littlest things remind me of MB and I find myself laughing as I remember her little quirks.
The day of her funeral, we went to eat at an Asian place and I think she was looking over my shoulder as I opened my fortune cookie. It said, "Life is Short. Live today." Losing a shining star at the tender age of 21 is exactly what that fortune was referring to and to this day, I carry that fortune with me in my wallet. That way, I always have a little message from MB reminding me how important it is to live this life God gave us. She sure did. And during her short time with us, MB touched more lives than I could ever hope to.