Dear Ashlyn,

I can see you pulling into the parking lot right now. That big Navigator whipping into a space that barely seems large enough for it, dirt and dust all over the windows and sides. I can see you hopping out right now, too - with a quick little burst of movement and energy that somehow seems to propel you a hundred feet forward in one go, leaving behind a burst of color and ideas and life.

This is how I think of you always. A mad rush and dash around, coupled with a big thirst for more and deeper and truth, topped off with a heart and a mind that feels and knows so, so much.

Your friendship is the same - fun and vibrant, always holding space for more, always ready to talk or dance or yell or scream  (in a good, fun, girls just wanna have fun way).

That mind of yours is your greatest gift. It’s brilliant and it’s courageous and it’s sassy and it’s stylish (what? you didn’t know a mind could be stylish? yours totally is) and it’s dang fun. I hope you know this and believe it all the beautiful days of your life.  

Thank you & I love you.