Thursday, May 9, 2024

Stacia Hardin Memorial Image Gallery and Testimonials

Stacia with her black hair
Stacia Marie Hardin Memorial Image Gallery and Testimonials

The following was written in 2008, nearly four years after she had passed.

I did not know Stacia Marie for that long, but I do know she was the best friend I have ever had. There has yet to be a more caring person to cross my path, and I do not mind if I ever meet that person because I had the chance to know her.

No matter what personal demons she struggled with, she always put her friends ahead of herself. When I had a broken wrist, she would call me every night to make sure I was doing well, and to encourage me not to do so much stupid stuff that could result in broken bones.

Stacia with raven wings from Halloween 2003

If you knew her, you know she was an awesome sibling to her brother Brian, and you saw her kind and caring nature through him.

Stacia was also a really smart person who kept her feet on the ground, and knew how to get the most out of life. Usually, that came out through some of the best rock of our generation, her wicked sense of humor, and her beaming smile that never seemed to fade.

We all really miss you down here, and I for one hope you never turn the music down or let the party end up there, no matter how much St. Peter complains.

All the love I can offer,

Russ Stevens

If anyone else would like to add a testimonial about Stacia to this page, or have any images they want to share, e-mail me at russthebus07@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Stacia posing for a photo by Stefanie Smith

May 9, 2024

Stacia expressing her sense of humor
It has nearly been 20 years since Stacia left the physical/mortal plain. I still think about her everyday. With her help, I know that I have been doing my damndest to be a better, kinder, and stronger person. She is keeping an eye on me and I am certain she is doing the same for every person that she touched in her life.

I bring this up because I have changed a lot philosophically. As far as I can tell, there is no almighty entity that is responsible for this universe. With all of the atrocities in the world and good people dealing with the trauma of abuse, why would anyone want to claim that as their own?

Growing up, religion (in my case Christianity via Methodism) was something that helped me be a good person, but outside of the tales I was told and the lessons that I took from them, I felt its primary purpose was to control people.

When I further realized that the vocal "Christians" were using the faith as a means to judge others, I knew God was not real. They want the power to claim their superiority to and over others. If that is what that power is for, I want no relationship with who ultimately holds it.

If someone can be declared evil for being a good and true person (be it queer, being non-white, or both), I determined that if there is a God(s), they will not judge me. My prayers were nothing more than me asking for help in resolving concerns and I soon realized that the voice which was answering was my own.

This all went down nine years after Stacia passed away, so I cannot claim to be a fast learner. Because, within a week of her passing, I was praying to make sense of it. It was me asking questions and me trying to answer them. Nothing was being solved, but then her voice came to me and asked me, "Do you want me to be your saint?"

I knew she would be pissed if I answered yes, but more importantly, I was ecstatic knowing she was still here. Here is to hoping that besides helping us out, she takes the time to haunt the hell out of all the evil leaders of the world. Or finally light a fire under our asses to fix the trouble they are causing.

This is not my original memorial to Stacia that was posted on my website. HostGator determined my 12 years of loyal patronage was not enough to be treated fairly. The only reason I dealt with their greed and indifference was to keep that memorial page up. But, Stacia would not want me to be anyone's bitch, so I let it go. I hope this fulfills the spot that was lost.

Thank you for your patience and thank you Stacia for insisting that I be at my best.

Stacia with her mesmerizing smile

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