Today marks the day that Cristine Bonsor would have turned 34 Years old. Though she is no longer with us, I can still picture how this day would have gone, had she not been taken from us on June 24th.

Not one to welcome the advancement of years, she would not have wanted to have any type of celebration. She would have been happy to have a romantic dinner with Marc and to have returned home to their new home and spent the evening with a glass of wine, the man she loved, and their cats. Marc would have planned something special that showed her that she was loved and that he worshiped her. He would also have done something crude and ridiculous. He never missed an opportunity.

Disregarding her request, he would have made sure that there was a celebration this weekend that involved her family and their close friends. There would be drinking, laughing, elderly jokes, and eventually the guitars would appear. Singing would ensue and he would play every request she could come up with. While the concert continued, she would sit and listen intently while observing the crowd and making sure that glasses were full and that everyone was having a good time.

Eventually there would be scotch. Not her favorite, but a newly acquired taste that she enjoyed sharing with Marc. The songs would last into the early morning and would only stop once enough people had left and Marc had a little too much to drink causing his fingers no longer obey his commands. Once everyone passed Cristine’s “are you ok to drive” test, found a way home, or decided to crash at their place, she would then head upstairs to bed with Marc and thank him for a ignoring her previous requests to forgo any celebrations.

I’ll miss those nights.

Though it is sad to think of what could have been and to remember what once was, it would be more tragic to forget the way that Cristine would have wanted us to honor her on this occasion. Not to mourn her… but to celebrate her life and the relationships she had with all of us. Though the world is a darker place without her in it, her light lives on in our memories and in our hearts. So, tonight… this weekend… or whenever the mood strikes…. Raise a glass and take a moment to remember the woman we all loved. She would have liked that!

In honor of her birthday, I have put together a little montage of photos from her life. Though Cristine was never fond of hearing her name in a song, the music I chose had a special place in her heart, and was a testimonial to Marc's love for Cristine. I hope you enjoy it.

Goodnight Cristine.

Cheers every one,

Jesse