This is indeed a sad day for all of us, as we have lost such a great person. I think sharing our wonderful memories as well as our grief would help us ease our burdens.

Tammy meant something to each and every one of you as she did me. Many of us were blessed to be introduced to her through our animals or as I call them “my four-legged children.”  Beyond the extraordinary care and love she as a vet provided to our animals, Tammy was a friend. She was one of only a few people who I could confide in. I could talk to her about anything because she never judged or scolded me. She always has some great advice ready for me as I did for her. By the end of one of our heart-to-hearts we seemed to have solved our issues as well as the world’s issues. Tammy had this trait where she could always shine a light on what seemed to be a dark situation.

She was such a character. She knew how to be serious at the appropriate times, but she also knew when to joke around. As a friend she was very dear. She always found time to be with her family, friends, and animals. She was a very loyal and kind friend. Again, as we all know, she was also very compassionate; she was the kind of person who always opened her heart for all animals. She was a very fun and energetic friend. She could be what seemed immature at times but that’s just because she had the heart of a child inside a grown woman’s body.

I know Tammy may have left some things undone and others that she never had a chance to start. But I promise I will continue what she has started and hopefully fulfill her dreams for her. This is just my small way of saying thank you for everything she did for me.

I remember one of the times I visited her, I wore a Halloween costume. It was this bright purple pimp outfit with all the bling. I called out to her from the adjoining room that Cash was here to see her. She responded saying “Cash?”  “Cash who?” As I walked into the room, I stated Cash – Cash Money. When she saw me in my costume we laughed so hard we had tears running down our cheeks. I went back to visit a few days later and she had been resting most of the day. However, I know I would have to leave soon so I sat beside her and she looked up and said “Cash – Cash Money” and again a big smile lit the room. Tammy had a way of lightning up a room when she smiled.

Let’s just be thankful for all the special moments that Tammy has left us, how she touched our lives, and is a guardian angle to all our animals and she reminds us of how she is still in our lives.  I know she is still in my life and because of a sign she sent to me just this past Thursday. Some very good friends who Tammy and David met at our Holy Union called me Thursday morning because she had read the obituaries in the paper that morning. My friend asked me if this was the same wonderful woman she met three and a half years ago. I said unfortunately it was and it was a great loss and thanked her for call me. That same afternoon, I went to the mailbox to check for the mail and in my driveway was a newspaper that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution had delivered. In the plastic wrapping was a sheet of paper that said “Complimentary Edition.” I have been receiving the weekend paper for 13 years, but never the daily paper. I think that it was Divine Intervention that was reminding me how important a friend she was in my life. And with that, I find comfort in knowing Tammy will continue to live on within our hearts and minds and I hope we all try to emulate and practice a fraction of her compassion, unconditional love and non-judgmental beliefs with all those in our lives.