I want to tell you who inspires me the most in this life. My niece-friend-child… Lauren Skillman. For the past three years I have stood beside her, while watching her fight cancer with grace, and “bad-assness”. She did go to the other side on November 1, 2011. This was not failure, this was not losing a battle. I believe that she came here to this earth to explore something that would make her soul greater, stronger, and to teach so many of us the same time while we journeyed with her. There were many times when she needed to express her fears to me. We then would simply have a turrets minute or two shouting f bombs loudly and then laugh.. and drive with a very loud power rock song singing obnoxiously at the top of our lungs. We relentlessly watched ghost hunting shows to somehow guess what there is and if there is an existence after life. We even went ghost hunting at two of the top ten most haunted places in the world with the guys from the Travel Chanel Show “Ghost Adventures”. We were together most every weekday and we truly had a very deep understanding of one another and enjoyed every minute of our time together. Our souls were just close and easy to understand one another. [zooeffect AsGA166gc8ED]I am thankful that she helped me embrace my many fears at the end of her life. I am thankful that she gave me a sense of enjoyment at Holiday times. I am thankful that she got me to get “girly” again and have fun with make up, fragrances, and hair. I am thankful that she listened to me, laughed at me, built me up and needed me at the same time. I am thankful that everyday I got several texts on my phone from her. I am thankful that she had the best 21rst birthday party in the world. I am thankful that she found her inner beauty without hair! I am thankful that she faced death without fear and hugged us all and gave us each a loving message before she left. I am thankful that I have dreams about her. I am thankful that I had someone who understood me, looked up to me, loved me, cuddled with me, and let me share my journey on this earth with her. I plan to blog hopefully daily about my inspirations and my gratitudes.. I have so so many. I just thought I would start with the biggest one.. the shiniest one, the pink cheetah herself… Lauren Skillman!