On Your Birthday, We Said Your Name

In our family, we choose to celebrate Erin’s birthday with love, laughter, and remembrance. While there are always tears, we focus on the joy of the day she came into our lives rather than the day we lost her. We spend the day doing Erin’s favorite things. Going to Red Robin, hitting up Rita's, taking walks at Marywood University and more. We spent time sharing stories, reliving memories, and holding tight to the moments that made her so special. This poem reflects that balance. The heartbreak and the hope, the grief and the gratitude as we honor Erin’s life, her impact, and the love that continues to surround her.

On Your Birthday, We Said Your Name

Today we said your name out loud

not just in whispers, not just in tears

but into the world

on your fifth birthday.

A day you shared

with your Pop Pop.

his 75th in heaven today.

Two souls, forever tied

by a date that now holds

twice the love,and twice the ache.

I wasn’t sure I could do it.

To hold joy and heartbreak

in the same trembling hands,

to press “live”and let people see both.

But Meghan stood beside me,

your sister, your protector,

holding your rings

stacked not the “right” way,

but your way.

Always your way.

Those simple, colorful circles

became something more today

a logo, a symbol, a promise

that you are still here

in everything we build.

We shared Erin’s Way,

This fragile, hopeful beginning,

and I braced myself

for the quiet that sometimes follows grief.

But it didn’t come.

Instead

there was love.

So much love.

Messages poured in,

hands reached out,

people offering time, support, hearts wide open

a community rising up

to carry you forward with us.

And even before the world woke fully,

at 9 a.m.

you were already on someone’s mind.

Laura knew where we would go

your place,

Red Robin

where laughter once echoed

and sweet potato fries once flew

to a nearby table

because they weren’t the originals.

Only you.

Only our Erin.

She left a card,

gift cards for the girls,

a quiet act of love

waiting for us to find

a reminder that you are held

not just by us,

but by so many.

We went there for you.

For the memories.

For the way you filled even the smallest moments

with something unforgettable.

And in all of it

this day that could have broken me

felt… softer.

Because they said your name.

They remembered you.

They saw you.

And hearing “Erin” over and over again

it filled a space in my heart

that had been aching

for so long.

Today still hurt.

It always will.

But today also held something else

Hope.

A reminder

that your story doesn’t end here.

That your life, your light, your way

will ripple outward

through every child we reach,

every family we hold,

every moment of kindness we create

in your name.

On your birthday,

we gave the world Erin’s Way.

And the world answered back:

We remember her too.