I knew Bethany long before we met. I heard of her kindness through my friends, and this notion was only reaffirmed when I met her at lunch starting this year. In just those 30 minutes at lunch, I saw that Bethany possessed the magic to make others, including myself, smile and laugh. To her family, I offer my love, support, and the promise that I will never forget her.

~~~~~~
Hopeful Sky

The morning after the news broke
All the leaves
Fell

Crimson, pale gold and dusty brown
blushing in the sky
are now patchwork in the earth

In this world
Of tired leaves and hopeful sky
She ran on their seams
Blending sharp boundaries

churning out gleaming memories for
Miles and miles

We will never reach the end
Of those memories

And now that she is soaring high
radiating sun into the hopeful sky
We remember that this is not good bye

For she reaches us every day
As she runs through the stars
and flies with the angels.  

-In loving memory of Bethany Anne Phelps