A Guest Posting - from Rhiannon

My best friend died of a brain tumor when she was ten. She was on hospice during the summer and no one told me because, well, I was ten.

She died on October 8th. I found out from the meanest girl in the school the next day. I went to my friend, Ariel's, wake and told the family I would keep in touch. They lived a mile away, and her sister, Silver, was five or six. I never spoke to them again, however, and for years it tortured me. I felt like the worst person alive and that I let Ariel down.

Ten years later, I was on Facebook. I thought of Silver as I watched the snow fall, something that always reminds me of Ariel, and wondered if she had Facebook, too. I figured it was silly since she was probably only fifteen or so. I looked her up and her face, Ariel's face with darker hair, showed up. I sent her a private message, and within moments I got my response: "I remember you. Oh my God. It's you."

They had moved and her grandparents lived in their old home. They went there on Christmas and so did I, and I was reunited with their family. Silver and I have a bond like no other, but I recognize it must be strange for her parents. Silver is an amazing young woman. Nineteen, beautiful, smart, and has a great head on her shoulders.

I saw her tonight for coffee. She eventually spilled that she was engaged to someone she hasn't been dating for very long...at all...but, she's happy and he treats her well. She asked me to go to David's Bridal to look at colors, and the "dream dress" appeared out of nowhere. It's perfect- that was the one. As we walked in, she asked me to be a bridesmaid and I said I'd be honored.

After some time, she got choked up and said that Ariel was supposed to be her maid of honor- that's just how it was supposed to work. She missed her and wished she could be here, and asked- if I didn't think she was nuts- to be her maid of honor instead since Ariel couldn't be there. I told her I would be more than happy, but I wanted her to really think it over first. The whole time I was in there, I kept feeling Ariel around and thinking, "Don't worry. I've got her back. She's okay."

It has been a crazy journey, and this is something I never believed was possible. Call it what you want- God, Karma, coincidence...but, here we are, and there we will go. ~ Rhiannon