A celebration for a dear friend and his children . . .

I have had an incredibly tough few months as our family lost some incredible lives in August. We have been on an emotional roller coaster, questioning why, questioning how . . .we will never have answers and we have to stop searching and just carry on with wonderful memories and good times that we can hold close to our hearts. In the last few months I have had the opportunity to help plan the celebration of life for my dear friend Ryan and his children. Friday was the most perfect day we could have asked for. There was so much love, memories, laughter and tears, but all of it was a comfort. We have each other and it's all because Ryan brought us together. I didn't take too many pictures as I was hosting the event . .. the only picture I got was back at the hotel after the event. The rest of the weekend we continued to reunite with friends. It really was what my heart needed. And now that it is all done, I find myself questioning how can this all be real. He would have loved the party, the friends, the love. . .. I will miss them forever, love them forever and smile when I think of them being a part of my life. You should be honored if you were lucky enough to know them.

If you want to know more about Ryan and who he was, here is my speech from the celebration. I want his legacy to carry on forever:

RYAN LONG. JIM DINNER. LONGER. THE DONGER.

The one and only, who somehow managed to bring every walk of life together.

Thank you for joining us today as we remember and celebrate beautiful lives that ended far too soon. Ryan was a truly great human being he was a dear friend, a devoted son, a proud father, an advice-giver, a listener, a musician, a comedian, golfer, hockey player, psychologist . . . I guess I could go on and on. Ryan wore so many hats, and he wore them all well. I don’t know if there was a more driven person out there.

Parker and RyrRy were silly and energetic, just like kids their age should be. I remember the day Ryan reached out and said, Laura, I am a dad! Parker had just entered his life and he fell in love with him so quickly.Ryan loved him from day one and was so excited to get him on skates and then so happy to coach his hockey team. When Ryan was born, you just knew that Ryan would forever be wrapped around her finger. Ryry was a character and she was just the perfect little mother to her baby dolls and her brothers. During the kid’s short lives, they brought so much love, happiness, and fun to everyone they were around. They brought so much love to Ryan. He was an amazing father. Parker, Ryry and James are so lucky to have called Ryan "dad." Because he was one of the best.

Ryan was the thread that wove us all together. And even in his passing, I know, how happy he would be to see all the people he loved here together, laughing, remembering, and sharing stories about him. He would’ve cracked a joke by now or given you some unsolicited advice, because he was just the best – he would have told you that!

This loss hasn’t been easy for any of us. The grief has been so heavy. But in the process of mourning, I found myself going back through years of texts, emails, voice messages, just like I am sure all of you have.  I found so much joy in those little reminders of who they were, how much love that we shared together. I love being reminded of Ryan’s strong opinions, the constant encouragement he had for me, and the conversations that went deeper than I ever wanted.

In the last few weeks, I have had the honor of being able to hear all of your stories, your memories and your love for Ryan and the kids have been a real comfort to me. I hope it can be the same for you today. I hope we all find peace in the memories we created with this family, I know those memories will continue to remind us of the impact Ryan, Parker and RyRy had on all of our lives.