R.I.P. Teresa

This has been a tough week.

First we lost our dear friend Dayl.

He lost a long battle with brain cancer.

His services are tomorrow in Michigan.

Unfortunately we aren't able to go.

But our hearts will be there.

And then yesterday I lost my friend

Teresa Tapp.

She was very private.

A few years ago she won her fight

with breast cancer.

3 weeks ago she discovered she had

metastatic disease - it had moved to her liver.

She only shared the information with a very 

select few people and they were sworn to secrecy.

She sped up the process and released

a video she has been working on for 3 years.

She attended a weekend retreat for those

with special needs as key note speaker.

She completed another set of videos for a

13 week course with another of my friends and

T-Tapp trainers.

No one even guessed she was ill.

My facebook page is loaded with

loving tributes from all the many many lives

she touched and people who counted her as friend.

Many of them had never had the opportunity to

meet her in person, but her love shines through

her videos and she was active on facebook,

encouraging each person and sharing her knowledge.

She made it a point to focus on the person she

was speaking with, as though they were the only

person in the room with her.

She made you feel important, special, loved.

I was fortunate to meet with her several times

over the many years since I was introduced to

her method of movement.

She chose me as first runner up in her annual

60 Day Challenge and I got to attend a retreat

with her in Tampa.

I attended a couple more on my own because

they were such an amazing experience.

I also got to work with her on a PBS Broadcasting

special on dealing with hypothyroidism.

And, of course, I get to spend hours and hours

over the years with her on the videos I use

to workout with.

She was famous for her motto "Yes You Can".

She repeated it always at the perfect moment

when you just knew you COULDN'T do more.

And she ended each video with either

"You DID it!"

or

"Have a Great Day!"

She turned 61 last month.

She was a woman who spread love of God,

love of life,

love of others

everywhere she went and to everyone she met.

R.I.P. Teresa.

You inspire me to be better.