Celebrating Brittany

Like clockwork, October follows September and the change begins.  The trees have not only started changing their colors, but losing their leaves as well.  Something different hovers in the air.  And like clockwork, every October makes me think of her, my friend Brittany.  I met Brittany when I was hired as the store manager for a boutique in Mobile, AL.  I developed very close relationships with all of the employees there.  We weren't just coworkers.  We were a family filled with beautiful girls inside and out.  Brittany brought humor to our family.  She always made us laugh.  She was a kind heart with a healthy balance of brutal honesty.  If you know her, you know what I mean:) Can we all just take a moment to pause and reflect on that face she would make when she did not approve!!!  You couldn't help but laugh!!  She was brilliantly smart but gracefully down to earth and relatable.  Every October, all of us girls knew that her birthday was coming.  Brittany's birthday is on Halloween.  Every year, we all knew that she would be leaving on a shopping trip to Birmingham for the weekend with her Step Mom and grandmother.  We all were slightly jealous but couldn't wait for her to get back and show off all the goodies she got while away. 

I moved to Birmingham in 2012 and one of my first thoughts was "I know I will at least see Brittany in October".  It was comforting actually to know that I could be in a new place but something old and familiar would come around even if for once a year.  The last time I saw Brittany was at a mutual friends wedding, Emily and Jonathan Golden.  We sat at the reception tables, with her fiancé John, talking about the day they would marry.  Even as I write this, my heart aches with the knowledge I have now.  I didn't know it then, but that would be the last day I would see my friend Brittany.  I wish I would have held her longer before I had to leave and make the drive back to Birmingham.  I had planned to see Brittany the following May at another wedding.  But this time, it was supposed to be her and John's wedding.  Fast forward to April 2014.  Only seven months ago.  A week before her wedding, Brittany was tragically killed in a car accident.  The plans I made to see my beautiful friend again walking down the aisle to marry her sweet John were drastically changed. 

October came this year and thoughts of Brittany filled my mind.  The color of the trees make me think of her.  The smell of the season and the cold chill in the air makes me think of her.  This was her month.  Brittany's life was such a beautiful story of strength and joy.  I never saw Brittany stay defeated or in a rut.  She found purpose in life and made things happen.  She found love with John and was ready to be his wife and take on the role of a basketball wife.  She was so many things to so many people.  To me, October will always belong to Brittany.  Her life should be celebrated.  It was a beautiful life. I'm inspired by Brittany to have my life reflect the same joy and strength.  Tomorrow, October 31, 2014, I will be trick or treating along with my son.  But in my heart, I will be rejoicing and celebrating the life lived by the beautiful, talented, and spirited Brittany Huber.