A bright Light! Those are the words that capture the essence of our daughter Krista who died in 2010 after a diagnosis of a rare form of cancer. The Short story is that Krista lived a wonderful life and was following her passions and on the verge of reaching her dreams…   but a month after turning 36, she was lost to us. She asked us not to dwell on how she died, but to remember her for how much she loved life.

There are so many words that people have used to describe Krista: passionate, positive, friendly, giving, motivated, creative, inspiring, humble, genuine, helpful, full of energy, joyful, strong willed, engaging, vulnerable, well-read, caring, accepting, smart, sexy, spiritual, a great communicator, talented and loving.

Her varied interests were like the many colors of the rainbow.   She loved people, children, horses, dogs & cats.  She loved politics but loved the arts more.  She was an aspiring screenwriter and actor and particularly fond of musical theater and film.  She loved to sing and play the piano. She could get lost in gardening, a walk in the woods or a day on the beach.  She loved traveling and was always surprised by tourists asking her for directions while she herself was a tourist.  She fit right in wherever she went.  Krista loved learning, there was always something more to capture her curiosity. She loved books and reading, but was equally fond of clothes, and plenty of bling.  Big, gorgeous hats and snazzy shoes were favorites.   Finally, Krista was a gal on the move… horseback riding, biking, rollerblading, running, swimming, and rowing.  She loved watching sports, especially the Red Sox with her dad.

 If Krista were here today, she would tell you to express more, feel deeply and live life fully.  She would encourage you to find your light and reach for your dreams.  She would tell you that life is not a dress rehearsal so do your best from the get go.  She would help you with whatever project or chore you needed assistance with.  She’d give 100 % of herself.  If you needed an ear, she’d be a great listener, if you hurt, she would comfort you and if you needed a jolt of reality… she’d oblige.  

Krista was an amazing person with a much larger story to tell who did so much in her short life and taught us there is nothing more important than to love one another.  We could leave it at that, but we believe in our hearts that she who lived a vital, vibrant, colorful life wanted her love and spirit of living to go on in some significant way.  She wrote a note of inspiration to her younger sister saying, “We are driven to succeed, not because we want fame (ok, maybe a little), not for fortune (are you kidding me!?), but for the sake of creating change – of sticking it out until our stories are told and we have nothing left to say.” 

Of course, we wonder what might have been for Krista had her story not been cut short.  Sadly, we’ll never know,  but It is far more fruitful and significant to create positive change in her name and continue her story in Kiki’s Garden where love will grow cultivated by the good deeds of countless individuals who loved Krista or who are inspired by her spirit of love and the caring legacy we nurture in her absence.   Everything we do in Kiki’s Garden emulates how Krista lived. As long as we are able, we will seed  good deeds in her name and one deed at a time, make the world a little bit better.

Thank you for helping to write another chapter for Krista by supporting Kiki’s Garden.