A Journey To The Star Begins

Zayla’s third birthday was unlike any other.. not because it was the last one we would share with her here, but because it felt like she had already been planning her next big adventure.

When I asked her what kind of birthday she wanted, her eyes sparkled with certainty:
“Mommy. I want to go to space.”

We didn’t know it then, but looking back, it feels as if she had already chosen her theme for her journey ahead.. her forever home among the stars.
Her birthday, on 13th August, came just two weeks before she left us on 30th August. It became our last celebration together- one filled with shimmering planets, golden stars, and rockets ready to launch. Zayla wore the widest grin, darting between friends and family, her laughter echoing like the happiest melody. She wasn’t just the birthday girl; she was the captain of her own spaceship, inviting everyone along for the ride.

What made Zayla so special wasn’t just her bright imagination.. it was the way she lived life with an open heart all those 3 years. She devoured books, stacking them in her little reading corner and asking for “just one more” every night. She loved exploring, whether it was the corner of a park or the corner of a story. And she never shied away from making someone laugh or feel included.

Her space-themed birthday became more than a party. It was a glimpse into Zayla’s world – curious, fearless, full of love. It’s as if she knew that one day, she’d soar beyond our skies.

Now, when I think of that day, I see her dancing in her little galaxy, surrounded by joy, friends, and family.

That was Zayla: a girl who made the world around her bigger, brighter, and braver, just by being in it.