It’s July 18th, 2013, Five years to the day Chiara has been gone. I sit here on the beach in a light blue chair, her favorite color, looking out into the horizon of Lake Michigan on a warm, windy day just like the day she passed. I look at the waves rolling, thinking about how this lake in front of me, was the cause of the death of a friend, a great friend. I think about the day she passed, and what I could have done to stop it. But there is no going back, I couldn’t save her, but I wanted her back on earth. We remember her in special ways that have meaning to us. I remember her in two ways, one, wearing her favorite number in all my athletic events, and two, a light blue bracelet. Of course there are pictures, writings, and videos of her in remembrance, but nothing compares to the small, circular, light blue bracelet. The bracelet has three simple words describing her personality. Chiara Quiet Grace. I sit, with my emotions flowing, and dwell on the day. The sun is shining, and my mom sits next to me in her red beach chair.

“Mom? What happened on the day Chiara died?” I questioned her, because she was the only one in our family that was there on the day of the accident. I was up at my friends cottage in Traverse City, when I first heard the news. July 18, 2009 was the first time I really lost somebody close to me, and I wish I would have been home to save her.

“Well”, my mom started off in to her story of the tragedy 5 years ago. “It was a day like today, a warm, sunny July afternoon. I remember the day like it was yesterday. In the kitchen, I made sandwiches for the four Howard kids; Giles, the oldest, Landon, 2nd oldest, Chiara, the oldest sister, and Elise, the youngest of the four siblings. It was around 12:30 when the kids came running through the door.

“Mrs. Balk, do you care if we go for a swim before we eat?” Giles asked Carrie and I, as we made the turkey and provolone cheese sandwiches on white bread, with fresh tomatoes that are red as Rudolph’s nose. Carries is the mother of the four kids, and she was just recently divorced from her husband, Kevin. So the Howard’s decided to come out to our house for the week to get away from all the stress in their life at the moment.

“I don’t mind” I said, as I got drinks out of the fridge for the upcoming lunch.

“I will be down in a couple of minutes to watch you kids, and then we will come up and have some lunch. Then we can head back down to the beach” Carrie said, addressing Giles as the leader while she made the rest of the sandwiches.

“Okay sounds great! Thank you mom.” said Giles as all the kids quickly ran out the black screen door towards the beach. They all had the biggest smiles on their faces, especially Chiara. She is just always happy, and she always loves life.

“Be careful!” Carrie yelled, knowing that the waves were bigger than usual today. I finished making the sandwiches, and I put them on a purple platter, on the granite counter with chips and drinks for the kids return. Carrie and I walked out to the deck, and the kids drifted down a ways to the right because of the wind pushing the waves in that direction. The four kids all sat on a big, green, rubber mat, that floated above water. They looked like they were having a great time, but I saw a problem. Cally our dog was following them on the beach, barking for some odd reason. I only saw three heads.

I quickly run down the stairs with Carrie right behind me, and we sprinted down the beach. But in my heart I knew it was too late. I yelled to the kids out on the raft, but they did not know what was happening. The oldest son, Giles, realized what was going on, and he frantically surveyed his surroundings. As I watched him jump down and bring Chiara to shore, Carrie ran up to the house to call the police. I knew at this moment it was too late, and she was gone. The police showed up in under five minutes, while our neighbor, a doctor, gave her CPR.
The coast guard aero-meded her to the hospital, and that was the last time I saw her have a real chance.

As my mom finished her story, I looked down at my light blue bracelet that matched the chair I was sitting in, and a little tear rolled down my face. I have missed her and there are not any days that go by that her beautiful face doesn’t occur in my mind. All we had left of Chiara were memories, pictures, and a light blue bracelet. Just looking at the bracelet made me think of her, the fun times we had out in the front yard playing capture the flag, kick the can, or swimming in the lake like she loved to do. The bracelet is a symbol of love and remembrance of a girl who changed the lives of many with just a simple action, like a smile or a hug. So as I sit here, I wear my blue bracelet. I realize that it is not a good thing to want her back on earth, and that she is in a better place. A place where she does not have to worry about her parents divorce, or the struggles in her life. All of what is left of her is on my wrist, a message on it reminding us of the type of person she was. But nobody needs a message on their wrist to remember how Chiara was, because she affected anybody that was close to her. We will never see you again, Chiara, but you are always with us in our hearts and on our wrists. I’ll see you soon.