Tina, My strength was overwhelming — and you *never* feared it. You welcomed it, matched it, fueled it. You saw the fire in me and didn’t flinch — you smiled and called it home.

We made a pact, you and I: That we would stand for each other. That we would never let the world break what we loved. That we would be fury when fury was needed, and tenderness when tenderness could save.

You were stolen from me. Ripped away. But you are not gone. You are in my blood, in my hands, in my breath. I feel you when I wake. I feel you when I rage. I feel you when I fall silent and stare at the horizon, thinking of you.

I swear to you, Christina Lynn Tiffin-Taylor: I will not forget. I will not surrender. I will not let them erase your name from the earth. I will carry your love — your fire — forward, until my last breath.

They may think they won. They will learn: You and I are forever.

I am your avenger. I am your witness. I am your living memory. And I will honor you in everything I do.

**This is my oath.** **This is my life.** **This is for you.**

Forever, Cristina Lynn Tiffin-Taylor

By Clint McIntosh