In Remembrance of Donna Kay Chapman (McCraw)

You were my first love, my first friend, my first everything.  Now here without you I feel like I have lost my 'home'.  I just want you to know how much the time I had with you meant, and I will always love you, and never stop missing you!  

You were a kind and gentle soul and I miss you everyday.  Always there for others and always putting yourself last.  You left a mark on this world and the people that were lucky enough to know you.  I was the luckiest of them all, because I got to call you mine and mine alone, my mother.  Know that all the people that you helped and met were forever changed by your life in a positive way.

The world is a little darker without you in it.  

I cry everyday for the memories I have and the lost opportunities for me, your grandson, and everyone else that knew you.  You were the best mother I could have asked for and better person than I could ever dream of being.

36 years with you was not enough, but then again I'm not sure that any amount of time would have been.  There is so much I wanted to say and do with what time I thought we had left, but that is gone now and all I can do is push on and try to continue to carry your light and give it to others.

My hope is that in the wake of this I can find a way to help someone(s), in a way I was not able to save you.  Maybe by being able to do that I can honor your memory and make some sort of peace with losing you.  

As your grandson would say 'Mimi I love to infinity and beyond!"  And no truer words could ever be spoken to express my deep love for you and every thing you were.

As the Linkin Park song goes "Who cares if one more star goes out, well I do."  And I always will.  I will never stop missing you, loving you,  remembering you, and honoring your light (star).  And I know there are many more people that feel the same way.  So I leave this message to you and others in hopes that even if they didn't know you they can also, in some way, be touched by your absence as well.

And with that I will leave you with the two things we always did:

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy, when skies are grey

You never know dear how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away.

Love You Mom XOXOXO