A young woman who attends our church recently asked to be friends on Facebook. AP had been home to visit her family for the holidays and was leaving to return to her life out west. For whatever reason, she friended me.
I do not know her well, but I didn't mind being friends with her so I accepted the request. But first, I checked out her Facebook profile to be sure this was not a scam.
I literally gasped aloud when I saw AP's Facebook cover photo.
Abby? Is that my girl?! In a second I knew.
It WAS Abby! That heart over her eye confirmed it.
That's AP and her dad DP standing over by Sultanna and a baby Two Socks. DP is a friend of Tim's. He has some acreage and boards a few horses for other people. It made perfect sense that when Sultanna foaled, he and AP came out to see Two Socks.
I needed a moment to gather myself and that deep, visceral emotional response quickly began to fade. After all, how many times have I taken pictures of horses, horses that were not mine? I'd done the same thing, too, and I'd done it for the love of all things horse. I'd meant no harm. And in this case, I was sure AP had used Abby's picture for the very same reason.
I felt calmer and a peaceful feeling rolled over me.
A note about DP...
When DP saw me at church right after Abby died, he walked over to me, threw his arms open wide, and gave me the biggest cowboy hug I think I've ever had. He said how sad he was to hear the news, and we ended up sitting in a pew and talking for almost thirty minutes about my loss. (Good thing services were over, haha!)
That hug and chat are among my most cherished memories from the darkest days when I grieved my girl. A bright spot then, and a bright spot now.
In retrospect, I am glad that Abby is part of a young woman's Facebook page, in a photo that AP likes so much, she uses it for her cover photo.
I find it fitting that Abby is remembered in this way.
Rest easy, dear girl.
