Namesake

Kaylie

Any words I put down here won't do justice to the enigma that is Kaylie. . . How fitting that we should pick that middle name for Evie and then she would be born to face such a storm!  Evie is a credit to her namesake because she is perfect just how she is, no matter what anybody might think.

Kaylie Helene Hushka was my best friend, and she died young of bipolar disorder.  When I think of her, the words that come to mind are: hilarious, creative, loyal, afflicted, and courageous.  I think everybody who knew Kaylie loved her deeply!

My favorite memory of Kaylie is when we were little girls and we went off to play in the woods on a family camping trip.  We took off all our clothes and jumped into the freezing river. We spent hours that day exploring as we trekked against the strong, frigid current in that river. . . We collected shiny rocks.  We made fishing rods with sticks and shoestrings.  We jumped from precarious rock to precarious rock.    For me, all of childhood can be summed up by that day playing with Kaylie.

I miss you, friend.