08/09/2025
14 years ago today, Taylor gained her wings. I remember packing our things in our hospital room, walking to the parking lot…running into one of our favorite nurses that was just coming on to her shift and sharing a long hug and a good cry with her. I remember driving home from the hospital with a car full of momento’s and 2 bags filled with Taylor and my clothes. We had been “living” in the hospital together for about 4 months. I remember going through the motions of driving but I couldn’t tell you a thing about my route home. Even though we knew what was coming, the truth is one can really never be ready for it. It being the final breath, the quiet goodbye, the leaving it to the medical team to transport a piece of your heart to prepare for a final resting place. Thank God we had become so close with the nurses that I knew they would care for Tay like she was their own. I remember sitting around the firepit as a family recounting all of our memories of Tay. I remember a shooting star and I remember the feel of the hole in my heart. The past 14 years have been filled with blessings, what if’s, the questions of what she’d be doing today and of course the never ending missing of her laugh, smile, and genuine personality. I recently ran into a person I didn’t know while wearing my Taylor Steele Cancer Foundation hat. He approached me, pointed to my hat and asked if that was the girl who had gone to Liberty Ranch that passed away from cancer. I explained I was her Mom and he teared up gave me a hug and told me we had raised a great human. He then explained that he had somehow been involved with LRHS and there wasn’t one person that he crossed paths with that hadn’t loved Taylor. He recounted conversations with students that told her story. I don’t know his name but I left that brief encounter knowing Tay’s work is still being done. The journey didn’t have the ending the we had hoped for but there have been many little blessings along the way that remind us of Taylor’s presence. Kisses to Heaven, Tay. You are loved… always❤️
