Dear Meg,

I sat here for about 15 minutes trying to figure out what to say. I wanted to write something to show my appreciation for all that you had done; not just for me, but for the entire community. Friends, family, and strangers are expressing their sadness in many ways and it seems like you may not have truly understood what your life meant to everyone around you.

This letter is not just for you, but for everyone that is feeling this heartbreak. I think that everyone can agree with me when I say that you were the most genuine person and treated everyone as an equal. You always stayed true to yourself and everyone around you. You may be gone, but our memories will live on.

After hearing the news, I lied awake for hours. Memories kept rushing through my mind from our past. My overwhelming feeling of sadness started to be numbed by these memories. They are a gift that I can hold on to for the rest of my life and can never lose. I can keep them with me wherever I go and I am thankful you blessed me with this. You may not even know it, but you gave this gift to everyone that you crossed paths with in the short time you were on this earth.

For some fucked up reason, this world that we live in allows for the most amazing people to fall into a dark, dark place; a place that I cannot truly understand. Many can feel sympathy towards your situation, but only an unfortunate select of people can really empathize. It is like you were in a foreign country, one in which you never chose to visit. I can only view what it’s like from the border, but I cannot experience its culture or feel the climate. I can speak the language, but you are the only one that can understand its meaning. I can only imagine you were a prisoner to this horrible place looking for any possible way to escape.

You have freed yourself from the shackles of sadness, no longer a prisoner to this ghastly place. You can now spread your wings and live on in the hearts of many. I know that wherever you are, you will continue to make an impact on people’s lives. Thank you for being a part of mine.

You were an angel then, now, and always.

Rest Easy,

Ryan Langdon

Syracuse University

twitter: @RyanLangdon_9