pink.

Dropping temperatures, Uggs, tights, pashminas, pumpkin spice lattes, oranges, reds and yellows can only mean one thing. Fall has officially arrived. The colors, however, don't stop at the oranges, reds and yellows, but include one very important color, a color close to my heart: pink. That's right, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, a month dedicated to making more people aware of the prominence and significance of breast cancer worldwide, but it's also a month celebrating the survivors and remembering those who have left their mark on this earth.

My grandma, a woman who brought so much into this world, wore the color pink with pride. She struggled with breast cancer for years and the treatments brought a great deal of pain into her life, but she didn't let that stop her. She never stopped fighting. The color pink brought lif

e and hope into our family, she would glow when she wore it, and we loved seeing her in that light.

I can still remember our early mornings in downtown Denver, gathering with people from all over the state, to walk for a cure. The sun always shined on those days, as if God was proud of the work we were doing. I know he was proud of my grandma.

I love seeing Lacoste, Vera Bradley, and others doing their parts in order to raise awareness and support Breast Cancer research. If there's one thing I know about my grandma, I know her hope would be to find a cure, and keep others from the pain she went through. I can't imagine having the strength that she had,

but I know there are others that do, others that can and will be saved.

When I am in front of my classroom, loving what I am doing, my mind falls back to her and the little chicks that she raised with her kindergartners. I still secretly wish I could share my

stories with her, the funny ones, the stressful ones, the scary ones, the happy ones, the

significant ones, and the hard ones. I wish I could hear about her experiences and get advice from a woman I know made a wonderful teacher.

This month, I will wear pink. I will wear it and carry it with me wherever I go. That pretty little pink ribbon is wrapped around my heart, keeping me warm

and reminding me that my grandma is not only watching me but helping me along.

I love you, grandma. I love you today. I will love you tomorrow.