Those who have been reading Magical Childhood for a long time may remember back when I used to send out newsletters back before the blog, full of ramblings and fun ideas and silly ways to make the day magical. Those who have been around a really long time may remember when we lost our incredible family friend Hannah at age 9 to leukemia.
Today would be Hannah’s 18th birthday.
Hannah is still a part of our lives, still part of our family conversations, and an incredibly big part of who our oldest daughters are. Hannah’s life and death shaped them and she continues to shape them.
She is in Victoria’s strength and acceptance.
She is in Anna’s songs and poetry.
She is in our memories. She is in our stories.
She is in every fearless jump into every body of water that every one of my children take, since Hannah and her brother Hayden taught my girls to abandon their fear of water and jump wildly into water, and then my girls taught it to all of their younger siblings.
She is in our homeschooling, my parenting, all of it.
I wrote this in the Magical Childhood newsletter after her death:
Hannah’s life was far too short and we will all miss her very much. One of the things that gives me comfort is the life she had, though. She had so much love, laughter and life in those 9 and a half years. She was treasured by her mother and all who knew her. She was loved well. She was happy.
Sometimes life gets hectic, stressful, chaotic and messy. Sometimes we get caught up in the day to day mayhem and lose sight of the big stuff. Today is a good day to remember the big stuff again. Make every minute count. Fill your life and your children’s lives with happiness and meaning.
Don’t forget to live.
Please hug your kiddos, count your blessings and do something magical today in memory of Hannah.
Hannah, thank you for being part of our lives. We love you.
Love, Alicia
In honor of Hannah and her family, please go love the heck out of your kiddos. Not just today, but every day… Childhood is short. Life is short. Make it all magical and meaningful and real.
Happy Birthday, Hannah.
If you’d like to read more about Hannah, you can see my original newsletter post here.
Beautiful girl, beautifully written. This really reminds all of us parents to try and live in the moment and enjoy what we have right now. Love your site, so inspiring. Please keep it up!
Happy birthday to you and Hannah. Thanks for posting about her, she sounds quite amazing!