Christina-Taylor

She was a ball of fire.  She was the twinkle in your eye.  She was curious and passionate and thoughtful.  She was respectful.  She loved her parents and her brother and her large and wonderful extended family.  She played well to children and grown-ups.

She understood the nuances of getting elected, promising a chicken in every pot and winning with style.  She sang and danced and swam.  She gave back and paid things forward.  There wasn't a hostile bone in her body, at least not one that I could find.

She was always up for an adventure, always saying "YES!" to something new.  She took her responsibilities seriously, and treated every venture with the respect it deserved.  My plants never looked better than when she was taking care of them.

She was a little girl and a bullet took her from us.

More than that, it took her from her family, the people who loved her the most.  The Crayolas have been trying to heal in a private manner, as the media has stormed the barricades and begged to intrude.  ESPN scored big time yesterday when e60, their feature news magazine, shared the story of CTG and baseball.

Don't watch this without a box of tissues and someone to hug.  It's exactly wonderfully delightfully heartbreakingly true.  This is who she was to those of us who knew and loved her in person.  Her parents are the bravest, strongest, most thoughtful people we know.  This video captures them perfectly.

Rest In Peace, little one.