Ten years ago-

My sister Tera Lynn Smith disappeared August 22, 1998, ten years ago today.
I think of her everyday. I wonder what she would be like today. I wonder what career path she would have chosen. What type of man she would have married, if she would have children? I think of how our children would have been able to play together and sometimes I feel cheated out of having an older sister with me today.

I am grateful for the many ways Tera touched my life. I feel so blessed to have her as my older sister. Tera was older than me by a year. We played together and fought together as all sisters do. Tera was spunky, fun loving and spontaneous. She was eccentric and had a love of nature and people. Her room was decorated from thrift store items and thrift store clothes made up the majority of her closet. She was unique in everyway. She even created her own backpacks, skirts out of neck ties and necklaces out of bottoms. She often had candles burning in her room while Enya or Tori Amos was playing in the background. She was adventurous and fearless. She loved to go cliff jumping, snowboarding, wakeboarding, horseback riding. Tera did not hold back on emotion, she let her emotions show, in a way that I never have and I think few ever do. She was beautiful with her blonde hair and green eyes and perfect body. She was athletic and excelled at all the sports she played- softball, basketball and volleyball. She was the type of person you wanted to hate- out of sheer envy, but it was impossible not to love her.