I have know Shahonna since 6th grade when three other girls, myself and Shahonna lip synced "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul. We had so much fun laughing at each other but through it all, Shahonna always took charge and knew when to get busy and when to have fun. After school, we lost touch for a very long time. We met back up on Facebook in 2010 and I learned she had this amazing young Daughter, MaKenna. We became fast friends and at that time I became her personal photographer:) Due to complications with her AA, when she needed to get blood, MaKenna would stay with us and we always had such a good time. Through that we had our ups and downs. We would lose touch for awhile, then get back together and become real close again, the fall out again and back and forth for years. No matter what we went through though, I always prayed for her, loved her, and have learned and grown from her strength. I will always owe her a lot. She made me learn that one persons pain is not the same as someone elses and it is ok to cry and hurt but you just cant live there. Pull yourself together and dust yourself off and hit that pavement hard again. I learned no matter how hard or bad something is, you FACE it. Head on. No turning back, no being scared. God has this. That actually makes me remember her favorite motto back in the first year of our friendship "I got this" she would always tell me and I always went one more and said "No, God has this" she would roll her eyes and say "atta girl".
I will miss her smile, her snarkiness , her attitude, her stamina, her strength and her love. I will always be here for MaKenna the best I can. That was a promise I made her in 2010 and I meant it from the bottom of my heart. I cant believe she is gone, but I know she is with every single one of us. One thing I know for sure, when she said she loved you...she meant it. I know she loved each one of us and we all meant a lot to her. #strongforheralways
