I always really loved to read Olivia books. Even as a tiny baby she would look at me so intently and seemingly take in every word that I ready to her. Our all time favorite was Nancy Tillman’s book, “Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You.” There’s a line in the book that reads, “you are my angel, my darling, my star and my love will find you wherever you are.” It’s on the last page and I absolutely fell in love with those words. In fact, I loved it so much that it became a saying with Olivia. I would repeat those words to her over and over, especially during the toughest of days. There were many times I said those beloved words with tears streaming down my face, but I meant them every single time!

When Olivia passed away on October 22, 2013 we were in a complete state of shock. Suddenly we were planning her funeral and a life that no longer included her. We drove up to Casper the next day to pick out her casket and make funeral arrangements and on the way home we noticed something beautiful… in the sky was a bright, shining star. It shined bigger and brighter than any other star in the sky. And it looked like it was continuously staying right above our house. We immediately remembered those words and just knew that this was a way that Olivia let us know that she is in Heaven, she’s safe, she’s happy, healthy and we will see her again!

Now more than 16 months later we still see Olivia’s star shining bright in the sky each night. Now we see it right outside of the window at our new house. It is a glorious, heavenly reminder that she still loves us. She misses us. But she is in the best place imaginable. It doesn’t take away the pain. Nothing does. But we can look at that bright, beautiful star and know that her presence is still very much here. She lives on in our hearts. And all we have to do is look out our window and see that amazing reminder.

Olivia Caldwell Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit that raises money for pediatric brain cancer research. All proceeds benefit our neuro-oncology research team at Children’s Hospital Colorado. You can learn more and donate any time by visiting our website at www.oliviacaldwellfoundation.org.