Chocolate Chip Cookies for Briana

Today is the 7 year anniversary of my little sister, Briana's, passing. I can't believe that it's been that long. Sometimes it seems like another lifetime ago. Our family was so different then. I miss the way things were so much sometimes. I wish I could have appreciated better how lucky I was back then. My sister was always special. I don't remember her birth (I was only 4) so I don't remember how sick she was for her first few weeks of life. None of us knew how deeply that would affect our family at the time. I remember my mom saying that she knew something was different about Briana long before the doctors did. It was years before anyone had an anwer for my parents and I can't even imagine how difficult that answer must have been for them to hear. My sister had brain damamge. My sister's disability made our family different from most families but to us it was the norm. She was just Briana. My parents were so devoted to her. They constantly advocated for her in school and always gave her all the opporuntities for learning and fun that they could. As a parent now myself I don't know how they did it. Of course, Briana adored them. I can't help but smile when I think about the way Bri loved. She gave her love so fully and so freely. There were no agendas or complications. Her smile could light up the room. She loved to be around her family the most. You couldn't tell her about any family event more than a few minutes before or she would be asking you about it constantly, hoping that it was time to go. "Time it is", she would say. My aunt made a family video with everyone's pictures one Christmas and we watched that with her more times than I could ever count. When it was over we always had to rewind it and start again. She loved school and to learn, even though it was hard for her. She could count to 20 and knew her phone number. She had a great memory. She loved to have books read to her and she loved purses. She loved our cat, our dog, and Barney(: She taught me the value of family. She taught me to slow down and take a real look at things. She taught me to be more patient. She showed me what pure and honest love was. She was joy personified. We had hard times with her though. Taking care of a 2 year old and a 16 year old's body had it's challenges. I'm sure so much more for my mom and dad. Her seizures the last few years of her life were hard to deal with. I prayed everyday that she would be healed while drug after drug failed to help. I know now that my prayers were answered, just not in the way I thought they would be. Isn't that so often the case. Her sudden death was a huge blow to our family. Briana was really the center of our family life and when she died, it left a huge void in our hearts. I will always miss her more than I can explain but I wouldn't ask her to come back for a second. She is whole now and so happy. Her beautiful, perfect soul has finally been set free from her body. I can't wait to see her again in her glory and light. And she has my mom now. I know she made my mother's passage from this earthly life a happy reuion with a beloved daughter. I made chocolate chip cookies today in honor of my sister. She always loved to make them and loved eating them even more. I wish I had a picture of her but they are all on my other computer at home. Here are some cookies for my sweet baby sister. I will love you and miss you always until we can be together again.