Happy Birthday Erica! Thinking of you today.

I miss you so much today and every day. It's just not the same here without you.

Hey Erica, missing you today and always

Miss you Erica. Thinking of you today.

Happy Birthday Erica. Missing you today and think about you all the time.

Happiest heavenly birthday to you, beautiful! I miss you so much... and I realize just how much I miss you on days we celebrate you. I love you forever.

Happy Birthday Ericacacaca! Missing you today and everyday.

Missing you today and always. Read another good book that you would have liked. Missing talking to you about them.

Happy 38th Heavenly Birthday, Beautiful!❤
I hope you are celebrating with all of our loved ones up there! I miss you more and more as time goes on. I can't believe you have been an angel for nearly 4 years now. Truth is, it never gets easier. Some days, it still feels like I've gotten sucker punched right in the gut. But, I know you're in a MUCH better place and that brings peace and comfort to my heart and soul. I love you so much and miss you like crazy. You are forever etched on my heart and mind.❤

Missed today and every day

Happy Birthday Erica. Thinking of you with love.

I'm thinking about you today Erica. I read a book that I thought you would have liked called Educated by Tara Westover. I would have loved to have discussed it with you. I was in Goodreads leaving a review and saw a book that you had also reviewed and it made me miss you so much. I hope you and Ted are having a blast together. Love you!

So missed

Erika’s smile was always the first thing I’d notice about her when we would meet up. Then her presence. She had an enthusiastically warmth she had about her. She made me laugh. She was incredibly generous, giving enormously to a teen girl who was in great need. The first Christmas that she “adopted” Victoria, she gave her so many thoughtful gifts that brought Victoria to tears. The second Christmas was equally as abundant thanks to Erika. This was just one of so many examples of how she touched the lives of many whom she didn’t even know. When we lost Erika, we lost a beautiful soul and friend. Xoxo. Aimee

Happy 36th Birthday in Heaven, Beautiful!❤ You are still so missed and so loved and you always will be. Nothing is the same since you have been gone. I feel like things keep changing all the time, and not always for the best. Keep flying high with Teddy and our newest angel, Caspian.❤ Our list of lost loved ones down here keeps growing longer, but I know they are in good hands when they get where they are going.❤ I love you so much, Erica.❤ Take care, my Christmas Angel.❤

There is this author that I absolutely love: Jodi Picoult and she's coming to DC. I wanted to see how she is as a speaker, and so I started watching YouTube interviews of her and came across this:

https://youtu.be/m9zVaDy6faQ?t=18m3s

It makes total sense that Erica (and Ted) would be at such an event. She had such great taste in books! If you were to read Jodi Picoult's books, you'd get a sense of how open minded and amazing a person Erica was. What a tragic loss :(. Missing you, my friend!!

Also, I just realized the answer that Jodi Picoult gave to Ted. It's soooo relevant here! Hope you know how loved you are Erica!

Erica, I’ll always remember your generosity with, and sincere consideration for, others. To complete strangers. To friends and neighbors. To those less fortunate. To colleagues who needed a sounding board or just support in general. And always with a smile. Your time in this world made it a better place for many.

I found this on Erica and Teddy's laptop yesterday."

Erica’s Favorite Things
By Ted Leibowitz

There was once a little girl named Erica. Her world was bigger most other little girls, all because she loves to read.
She could go anywhere and be anything and she made all the choices on her own. That was her favorite part of reading. 
Erica loves to read her books in the backyard when she could feel the sun on her face. But her favorite place to read them was in the bathtub. Sometimes she would drop the book in the water and her dad would have to dry the wet pages with the hairdryer.
Erica hates doing the dishes when it was time to clean the house. Her favorite chore was cleaning the bathroom because when she used the toilet brush, she would pretend she was brushing the toilet’s teeth.
Erica loves to travel and go on her own adventures too, she always remembered to bring a good book along. Her favorite thing about flying in a plane was looking out the window for whales when the plane flew over the ocean.
Erica loves going to museums to see amazing things from her storybooks that were collected from all over the world. But her favorite thing was to visit old houses and estates because it was just like visiting one of the homes in her storybooks.
Erica loves salads for dinner with tomatoes, cucumbers, diced apples, and dried cranberries. Her favorite was to eat all the lettuce first so that she got to save all the fruit and veggies for last. She called it her “fun stuff.”
She loves when the clock said it was 12:25 because her Birthday was on December 25th and she called it her Birthday Time because both were 12 and 25. But her favorite time of the day was 12:34 because the clock said 1, 2, 3, 4 all right in a row.
Erica liked odd numbers and she thought even numbers were boring. …so, she always set her morning alarm for an odd time like 7:01.
Erica loves to buy books about new topics with her allowance. But her favorite books are books about horses from all over the world.
Erica loves spending time with all the important people in her life who love her. But her favorite thing to do is fall asleep to the sound of her dad’s voice reading her a bedtime story.

              Copyright © Theodore Leibowitz 2016

                      All Rights Reserved. ®

Erica, your infectious positivity and smile brightened every conversation. You always put others' needs in front of yours. Your generosity for others was demonstrated daily, but I'll never forget the impact you had on Victoria's life ... a teenager whom you brought immense joy to by gifting her new stylish clothes two Christmas' in a row. I'll also cherish that day we discovered those outlandish shoes during a time that wasn't full of joy, at least there was a momentary pause from that to see your smile and think of how'd you dance in those one day. I know you are dancing now, my friend. Missing you.

You lit up every room, made work fun, and always cheered me up whenever I was struggling with something. Though you were young enough to be my daughter there was something about you that erased that age difference; you must have been an old soul, Erica. I hope you are getting the peace and warm love that you so needed here, and that the love you left behind ripples out far and wide. You are, and will be, greatly missed.

You have always, always been a positive presence in my life - always imparting wisdom, and willing to share your knowledge with others. You had the gift of bringing amazing people together, which made you quite magnetic in my eyes. I hope you know of the positive impact you had on me and many others. You’re greatly missed, my friend!

Dear Beautiful Sister of Mine,

I just want you to know how loved and missed you are.❤ You never leave my mind and you never will. My kids will know all about you and Ted, I promise. I pray you have found eternal love & happiness in Heaven with Ted, Grandpa Allen and Grandma Smith. Please watch over my family and I, always.❤
I love you so so so much and will miss you forever.❤
Until we meet again...❤