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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWe are here today to celebrate the life of my little sister, Amy. And I say celebrate<\/em> because Amy would demand nothing less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy and I were different in many ways\u2014my favorite color is pink; hers was blue. I don\u2019t like singing on TV; Amy didn\u2019t like talk radio. But despite our differences, she was never my opposite\u2014she was my complement.<\/em> Where she struggled, I excelled. Where she excelled, I struggled. Over time, we learned what the other needed. We filled in the spaces for each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are both stubborn and competitive\u2014a trait we proudly share with all our siblings. We clashed. We pushed each other. And somehow, we always found a way to work together. To compromise. To make sure we both<\/em> won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy had a superpower I\u2019ve always admired but could never achieve: Amy embraced vulnerability. She had no choice, really; her biggest vulnerability was out in the open for everyone to see. She never let fear hold her back. She walked into rooms like she belonged<\/em> there\u2014because, of course, she did. She lived unguarded, open-hearted, and unapologetic. When she felt uncertainty or hesitation, I\u2019d be there to hold her hand. And when I needed bravery, she lent me hers. We gave each other strength when we needed it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When I struggled to get pregnant, Amy held me\u2014never wavering in her belief that I would be a mom. She was thrilled<\/em> when the \u201cbambinos,\u201d as she called them, were born. She met Ben and Sam the day after they arrived, and every year, the three of them celebrated that day together. All of Amy\u2019s nieces and nephews each held a special place in her heart. She would struggle each time one of them surpassed her in reading or accomplishments, but she would fight off the jealousy\u2014eventually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People thank me for sharing Amy with the world, but that was never my choice to make. That was a choice my family made when Amy was born, and it was a choice Amy<\/em> made every single day. She would not and could not<\/em> be hidden away. She demanded to be seen. And in doing so, she made sure others<\/em> were seen too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy taught me to see the potential<\/em> in people\u2014not their limitations. She showed me that inclusion isn\u2019t just about allowing someone in\u2014it\u2019s about making space for them to thrive. Because of Amy, I fought for her right to be included. I pushed her, and I loved<\/em> when she pushed back. When she stood up for herself. She could not be cajoled or talked into something she didn\u2019t want to do. The best I could hope for was that she\u2019d acquiesce\u2014as a favor to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy wanted to be famous, and in so many ways, she was.<\/em> Not just for her humor, her wit, or her uncanny ability to get what she wanted\u2014though she was certainly an expert at that. No, Amy was famous because she made people feel<\/em> something. She had a way of making you feel like the most important person in the room, especially<\/em> if she had just met you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was my barometer for finding true friends. When we were young, it was simple\u2014if you included Amy in our play, we were friends. If you didn\u2019t, we weren\u2019t. That clarity carried into adulthood. She showed me that the people worth keeping close are the ones who see value in everyone, who make space for joy, and who choose kindness first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early in my relationship with my husband, Steve, I told him that Amy and I were a package deal. He didn\u2019t hesitate\u2014he chose us both. And in doing so, he became part of our team, taking loving care of us both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Cleveland opened at the end of our street, Amy found a place where she was valued, where she was celebrated,<\/em> where she could push boundaries but also begin to understand them. It became a home\u2014a place where she wasn\u2019t just accepted, she was recognized.<\/em> And that was all Amy ever wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy found joy wherever she could, and she shared it with all of us\u2014even when it came wrapped in challenges none of us could anticipate. As disruptive and frustrating as her choices could sometimes be, she consistently<\/em> brought love and laughter into our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And sometimes, her way of helping was a little\u2026 unconventional. When I was in college running for student senate, Amy visited and decided to get involved. She stayed up all night making over 50 campaign flyers that read, \u201cA vote for Chrissy is a vote for beer!\u201d<\/em>\u2014complete with a drawing of me and a sketch of a beer can. She slid one under every dorm room door. Believe me \u2013 No one ever forgot Amy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In these past few weeks, I\u2019ve realized just how famous<\/em> Amy really was. Her hospice room was never empty. Her Facebook and Instagram posts are filled with comments from people I don\u2019t even know\u2014people she only met for a minute or two, but who still remember her, because in those moments, Amy made them feel something.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That was her magic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy lived boldly, unapologetically, and with joy. She made some questionable decisions, but somehow, they worked out.<\/em> She tested limits, but she never let them stop her. She wanted<\/em> happiness, and she chased<\/em> it. And in doing so, she made the world around her brighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My mother called Amy her Sunshine,<\/em> and it was the perfect name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy, my complement, my best friend, my greatest challenger, my sister\u2014I don\u2019t know how to be in this world without you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I do<\/em> know this: you wouldn\u2019t want us to sit in sadness for too long. You\u2019d want us to laugh, to be a little mischievous, to talk to everyone,<\/em> and to make sure we are seen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, in your honor, we will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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