Pictures can be so important……. Time flies so fast and certain things happen so unexpectedly that you wish you had a chance to take a few days back and re-do, or re-live your days. It would be so wonderful if we really could do that – press the reverse button!

Last week was probably one of the hardest weeks that Yana and I have lived through. In fact, with all my heart I wish I could erase the morning of October 30th.  On that day at 7:45am our dearest cousin, Ella Danilyuk, was killed in a tragic car accident (ABC report). It’s impossible to describe in words all the devastation, pain and sadness that we’re going through along with the immediate family of Ella. For the first time in my life I realized what the word “heartache” means and feels like. It really is as if a chunk of your heart is missing creating both emotional and physical pain in your heart – a feeling of a deep hole that cannot be filled. This is a great loss for all of us! Ellas was probably one of the most honest people I knew. She’d never judge a person, but love instead. Having very artistic (she was a graphic designer and had a great sense of style) and energetic personality, she would accept you as you are and invest love and care without expecting anything back. It was so comforting to see a wave of response on facebook that followed her death. Hundreds of people will miss her and we will love and remember her forever.

It is so unbelievable….!!! Ella is gone…. We loved spending time with her. Each time when she would come over, she would always bring a pound of Starbucks coffee for us. We would sit for hours and talk about everything and nothing.  So, all we have left of her is some sweet memories and photos – thousands of them .  Before all this happened, I never looked at photos the way I looked at them at the funeral. When a person is gone and all you’ve got is their photos, you start valuing every ONE of them. Its like a puzzle – pieces by pieces, looking at all the photos, you can get an idea who the person was, what he/she liked, what was some of the characteristics of their personality. Never really valued photos as much as I do now – that’s all we’ve got of our wonderful Ella…

If you wish to read more of Ella’s bio or would like to donate to the family visit this www.elladanilyuk.com