I still feel as if I could reach out and touch him!  Even though it has been eight years ago today, Manuel remains by my side always.  He is here for all of us.  My thirty years with Manuel taught me how to love, what 'family' means, to smile and live life with excitement, and oh, so much more!  But these last eight years have been teaching me that I am a survivor, I have a lot to offer this world, and that I am not done!  The broken shards of glass have been picked up and replaced to make a lovely window to gaze at my future with.  The ripped and torn tapestry has been painstakingly mended into a comforting mantle of love and protection to step into my new life.  I know that I will never be alone!