One Final Word
I have been sitting here wondering what to say. I have erased and started over 30 times.
How to talk about the passing of someone so young and so tragically that it takes you not just in a shock, but in more of a white lightening bolt. How do you describe someone that has been a rock where others needed strength, but somehow slipped under your own radar in needing the same shoulder.
It seems cliché to tell you that Karissa was a wonderful person, so I won’t. I’ll instead tell you that she was hysterically funny, that she had a no holds barred attitude, that she held people up so strongly that you forgot to ask if she ever needed anything back. That she initiated conversation, that she waited for no one, that she was creative, and imaginative, and was always volunteering to help.
That she has caused the world around her to cry in her passing.
And while those are my words, it was important for me to pass on just a few words of her surrounding community of friends:
Karissa was a strong, loving person with the ability to touch everyone she met. Friendly, honest, giving, thoughtful and sweet are only a few of the words to describe the beautiful person that she was. I will never forget her.
Karissa was a pleasure to know and a sweet and true friend.
Karissa was my silly friend who could always make me crack a smile. I will save our emails and look back on them on those days, like today, when I could really use one. Miss you my goofy silly friend.
Karissa was strong and dependable. She was always there when a person needed her. I have to believe she touched many souls and truly carries a beautiful spirit.
Karissa was eager to help me as a beginning blogger. She wanted me to succeed even though she didn’t know me. That shows the depth of her heart.
Karissa was a beautiful woman, inside and out, shown through caring about her friends and helping them, as well as the planet she lived on.
Karissa was an inspiration to me. I looked up to her as a big sister blogger.
Karissa was knowledgeable and willing to help out anyone, even those she didn’t know.
Karissa was someone who never hesitated to help another.
Karissa was not afraid to speak up for herself or her friends. She was tenacious and strong and quite simply, beautiful inside and out.
Karissa was, and will remain, an inspiration to those she helped selflessly.
Its because of this we are at a loss.
I wish the eloquence would come, the uplifting spirit, the heartfelt words that would give everyone hope, but my strength is being spent in prayers and disbelief.
Much discussion has been lent recently to friendships and when death strikes us reaching out socially. The truth is, Karissa was a social blogger and someone important in many lives, even ones she never ‘met’. I am a social blogger, the chances are that if you are reading this, you got here through social means.
Our friendships are real.
Our tears are real.
Our pain is real.
Please do not let her passing be in vain. If you need help, reach out. Find a friend, friend a stranger, but find someone to talk to. There are people that love you, that need you, and that can help you get through whatever it is that you are feeling.
Karissa- I do not pray for your peace as I know you have it. I only pray for those around us that suffer in your passing. The world is a little dimmer today.
I will never forget you.
~Trisha
momdot
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If you were a company that she has an obligation with, please contact me directly at trisha(at)momdot.com and we will be happy to find you a blogger friend of hers for conclusion of your giveaway or review on behalf of her*. All current contests have been closed and Stefanie from BloggyMommy will be contacting the winners and reps.
*I am disgusted that I have to come back and CLARIFY this, but Karissa was part of our review network and part of our community-hence access to her blog. We know that she was proud, and rightfully so, of her blog and would want her website treated with respect and not left without completion. She was a friend in life and remains one in death.
We are working closely with her family to ensure her wishes.
No related posts.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Karissa’s family and friends. I had the pleasure of working with Karissa after she contacted the company I work for about doing a review of our products. Since then we have emailed and even swapped suggestions on living a greener life. I am shocked and saddened by the news and will miss her greatly. What an amazing Angel the Lord has received!
This is terribly sad. Karissa ran a successful blog and she maintained such a positive influence over readers and the blogging word. I didn’t know her outside of this blog but she seemed like an amazing person and this is a tragedy
Karissa, I wish I knew you were hurting so deeply inside. The pain is gone now but we are left to try to go on without you. If you only knew how much you were loved. I wonder if you would have still left us. I come here and read all of these loving comments and ask myself “The what if’s to only answer them with it’s to late now.
Rest in peace my friend. I will miss you dearly. Love to your sweet mom and dad and siblings.
My prayers going out to Karissa’s family and loved ones. She will be missed.
So sweet and kind was she who rests. I had the great privilege of meeting Karissa via e-mail after visiting her site many times. She was helping me learn more about open sky and even said If I was a busy mom she would help me in anyway she could run my store. She shared with me that her father was a diabetic and so she knew many things about my story and wanted to help anyway she could. She was so kind in her e-mails.
This news took my breath away as I ponder the why only to know that she is now in peace. A beautiful person inside and out. Very giving of her time and always willing to teach others the knack of a good web site.
Thank you ! You will be missed.
Karissa,I will miss you
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Karissa and I worked together on a few projects over the past year. She was always so warm and kind and enthusiastic. I am at a loss for words. My heart goes out to her family and friends.
Thank you Trisha, for this beautiful tribute.
To Karissa’s family and friends – my heart breaks for you and you are in my thoughts. She had so much beauty and light, and she touched so many people. I only knew her through her blog, but she had the rare wonderful gift of making one feel welcome like a good friend, no matter how casual the acquaintance. I feel fortunate to have known her. Love, light and peace to you, dear Karissa.
i just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has posted such wonderful things about karissa. she was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, inside and out. now only just a bit over a week, i still cannot believe she is gone. like heath, i knew KG from shows of our favorite band… but often read her blogs just because i loved reading her words. she was so full of talent and love and compassion… a heart truly made of gold. she always made me feel loved and appreciated… and had a smile that could melt your very soul. i am blessed to have called her friend. i am sorry i didn’t know karissa… so sorry i didn’t know. i hope your soul finds the peace you were unable to seek in this life… and i hope to one day dance with you in heaven. i love you my sweet friend. i miss you forever.
Karissa, I only wish you could have known how many quasi-strangers loved you. I can’t remove you from my gmail contacts, even though it pains my heart to see your name there. We weren’t close friends & we didn’t communicate much beyond a few comments/emails about your blog, but you made a difference in our lives. We could have met up sometime, had tea together – our cities are not that far apart & I had to go to yours sometime soon anyway. I suppose I don’t really think of the bloggers I read as strangers.
I hope you can hear this somehow, someday. I’m sorry for not trying to be a real friend to you when you needed one.
So sad. I didn’t know her personally but I miss her anyway. It is tragic to lose someone so young. Rest in peace Karissa & thank you for your blog.
I consider myself very lucky to have known KG(as I knew her) for the last 3 years. I only met her 3 times in person, but everytime I did it was with a big smile that she gave to me. I didn’t know her from her blog, I knew her from the music scene we were both in. She was one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met, and from reading these comments from people that haven’t even met her, she has touched so many lives in so many different ways. She will always be missed.
Karissa was a very kind, amazing and inspiring person. Our condolences go out to her friends, family and everyone she touched.
I am sorry to have “meet” Karissa in this manner. I read about her from a fellow soaper. I read all the wonderful things about her and I can feel the pain, your love, your kind words. I lost my dear cousin a year and a half ago to suicide and it feels like he just left yesterday. Karissa, get your wings, fly high and say hi to David..you will love him..he is a jokester!! XOXO
Karissa was such a sweet person, she always brought a smile to my face. We will miss her.
I live across the street from St Jude Church and could see there was a funeral in progress there this morning. Amazed by the number of cars in the parking lot, I had to find out for whom.
For what it’s worth, in 20 years this is the largest gathering for funeral mass I have ever seen there. I think that speaks volumes about your friend’s life.
My deepest regrets to Karissa’s family and friends. She was a beautiful, young, talented woman and will be missed by many.
I keep coming back to her site, hoping that it is a horrible mistake or hoax. What a sad loss that she wasn’t able to reach out. My prayers go out to her and her family.
To Karissa’s family, you are in our hearts and our prayers…I am deeply sorry for you loss, and pray that you have many people to support you…
and Trisha, thank you also for this post, I think you were also a true friend to Karissa, and I am sure she knew….
I am in shock. I started reading Prissygreen.com last year, I think it was on october or something and I felt like I found a treasure. I am totally in shock to know of her passing away. My heart is with her family, friends and readers who knew her well. Karissa’s legacy will never be forgotten. Rest in peace angel. May eternal light shine upon you.
just shocked…how very sad. To anyone feeling like she did, remember there is always hope. God does provide.
To bring so many bloggers to feel speechless should show how truly devastating this is. When I first learned of Karissa’s death, I was not only shocked, but I felt numb. As “sorry” really isn’t the most appropriate word at the moment, I do feel sorry. Sorry that she was so unhappy, Sorry that noone recognized her signs, and sorry that even with the “hugeness” of social media that it wasn’t enough to help. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends and also to everyone else in the blogosphere. Obviously, you never know how people are truly feeling, and I hope that we can all take comfort in each other to get through those times when we can’t bear to be alone. Trisha, thanks for the touching post and please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help.
God Bless her and her family.
I am newbie to the blogging world, but I have been by Prissy Green several times and was always impressed by the things that Karissa wrote about and brought to us on her blog. I unfortunately never got a chance to know her and don’t really know a whole lot of you, but I just had to write and send my heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and all of you that are affected by Karissa’s passing. I am so sorry. Thank you Trisha for writing such a beautiful tribute, it is through you that I feel now I know the type of wonderful person that Karissa truly was. Hope you rest in peace Karissa and know that you truly touched and influenced a lot of people lives.
Eloise
Mommy2TwoGirls
Eloise C´s last blog ..Lots of Winners
Oh, I’m shocked and so sorry. Prissy Green was my #1 blog and she was always so helpful to me.
~in my prayers
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I am in shock. Prissy Green is one of the first blogs that I began reading regularly. I enjoyed her articles, tips, recipes, reviews and giveaways immensely. I have been without a computer for the past week, so I didn’t hear the awful news until today. I didn’t know her in r/l but will miss the way her wonderful personality would shine throughout her website.
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That was a beautiful tribute. Karissa was a dear person. My prayers go out to all her friends and family.
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I’m so speechless…My condolences to families and friends and all who have been touched by her…Rest In Peace
Liz H.
Oh dear! I had no idea. I’ve met Karissa in passing. I’m so sorry.
I don’t even know what to say.
I will pray.
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My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. I’m incredibly sorry for your loss. I’ll pray that you find the strength to get through this.
Michelle´s last blog ..I love you Oreo Cookie!
Karissa was one of the kindest most generous person I have ever met on the Internet! I enter contests and had not done so for the last few years and so much had changed>> she took the time to walk me through everything and did things for me if I did not get it. We talked about her alpaca friend and other things we had in common, it always amazed me that with all she did she had time for me and others>> like all of you I will miss her forever…
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family… Idk if people have realized this or not, but there’s a soundtrack in the background on her last giveaway link… Much Love
Sometimes the hole in one’s self just cannot be filled no matter how hard one tries. And little by little, self starts to slip away; slowly at first and then faster. So fast finally, that one feels he/she must slip away too. That feeling of insignificance and being overwhelmed blocks all other thought. And so, shocked loved ones are left behind, overwhelmed as well. I hope that
Karissa is at peace at last and her soul rests gently now.
I wish peace for her and her family….
You are the only button (other than my partner sites) that I have on my site. I feel extremely ashamed that I didn’t even know of your “break” until today after reading about what happened to you. I have spent a good part of the day reading old posts of your’s and I’m just shocked at what happened to you. I wish your family peace and hope that you are now at peace yourself.
Karissa we love you and miss you. God bless your family. I pray they find peace knowing you are at peace. Thanks for your words of wisdom, Trisha. They are echoed loudly.
Barbara
Barbara Platt´s last blog ..For every 10 Facebook fans, Fashion Playtes’ will donate a quilted vest to a local shelter for women and children
wow I am so sorry……… thoughts and strength to her family and friends.
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I’m so speechless…My condolences to families and friends and all who have been touched by her…Rest In Peace
this is very difficult to believe and distressing at the same time — my prayers are with you and your family, Karissa~~
all your work and help was appreciated, and belated hugs to you….
RIP
Wow, I’m shocked by this news, this is tragic. I did not know Karissa well but the little I did know of her, she was a lovely person… My thoughts are with her family, this has got to be a very hard thing.
I am so sorry. I can’t think of anything else to say. My heart does go out to fam and friends, and I sure wish Karissa was still here. Wish I had known before and could have said when it might have helped. I have had the same in fam and know the heartbreak. Anyone reading – yes – you are valuable. Please sleep on it. Tomorrow is another day – and hopefully better. If not, reach out for help.
Beautifully put Trisha!
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Beautifully written Trisha. Thank You…
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She was one of the sweetest bloggers I knew. I was happy to know her and will think of her when ever I use anything GREEN!.. I still have the Yes To Carrots chapstick from her and whenever I look at my blog I will think of her and all her helpful emails about it
.. I can’t believe this happened.. I pray for your family, Karissa.. You’re now at peace..
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I read this and am at a loss for words. It’s so tragic…my heart goes out to her family and friends, and all will be in my prayers.
Sending prayers to her family.
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I only met you through passing words online and yet I feel I know you in so many ways, Karissa.
You are one of the best Green bloggers and bloggers in general that I have had the pleasure of meeting…I wish you peace.
Thak you trisha for the words of kindness and inspiration at such a tragic time.
~Angela
Angela´s last blog ..Duraflame Stax ~ The Eco-friendly Choice for Firelogs!
Fortunate that she was able to touch our lives and will really miss her. Sending prayers to her family and friends.
All of my deepest sympathies to Karissa’s family and friends. I’m so sorry to learn of her passing.
You wrote that so beautiful. So beautiful and someone I wish I knew personally. She is so missed by so many.
Nichol´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday: In Memory Of Karissa
Karissa’s blog was the first eco-blog I started reading regularly. I loved her take on the world. She inspired me and my husband both to live greener lives.
I’m very saddened by this news – she was a kind & helpful soul in all of our correspondence. Her emails are still in my saved folder. I only wish I could have known her better.
Rest in peace, Karissa. My deepest condolences to her family.
To Karissa’s family..my heartfelt condolence goes out to all of you. Karissa was truly and sweet and kind person from what I have encountered of her through her blog. She will be missed.
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Robert Frost (1875-1963)
This is incredibly sad! Karissa was a kind and generous person … and she’ll be missed.
To Trisha … thank you for this lovely tribute! I believe Karissa would be so touched by your words.
To Karissa’s family … please know that you are in my thoughts … and please accept my deepest condolences.
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You will be missed by many. Prays to the family.
Erin ´s last blog ..Blog Makeover
Karissa was a beautiful young woman, who clearly touched many. I just recently became a reader of her blog, introduced through the OpenSky Community. I am saddened that her time her on Earth was cut short, but I know this is not the end for Karissa, rather it is a bright, indescribably perfect new beginning. For all of her friends and family, we will keep you in our prayers.
Shannon´s last blog ..teen mom | moms growing up…
Trisha – this was a wonderfully written post, and a tribute to Karissa’s memory. You do her and her family a great justice in what I can only imagine is a very dark time in their lives.
I am at a loss for words. This makes me very sad. Karissa- you will be missed beyond words.
I want to say how much I learned from Karissa by reading her blog.She wanted
to make the world a better place for all of us.She was a beautiful person
inside and out.I will miss her and extend my condolences to her family.
May God hold you and watch over you.I am praying for you.If anyone needs
help I am always open with a listening ear and kind words.Always! my
twitter account is @Swtlilchick email:CharlieGurl57@aol.com
Trisha,
So beautifully put! I was a huge follower of her blog and wish I had known her personally as you did. When I read your post yesterday my heart stopped. Such a beautiful young women, so talented, so much to live for and give to the world. I am sorry for everyone’s loss of her and I hope her legecy will continue on the way she wanted it to, she ws very blessed to have friends like all of you! A note to everyone who reads this, reach out, call a friend or family member you haven’t talked to in a long time, you never know if this will be their last day. God Bless everyone in their time of need.
Such a beautiful life taken too soon. I know that you are in a place of peace and my prayers are with your family.
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My heart fell when I found out about this horrible news. Even though I didn’t know Karissa, I feel like I did as her personality came through in her writing. She was an inspiration to me as I just go into the green beauty blogging game in April. My heart is with her family. Only time will heal.
Robin
Robin´s last blog ..The Honey Skin Cure
what a sad news! my deepest condolences
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I love you Karissa and will miss you, dear friend.
Miss Blondie´s last blog ..For Karissa
I pray her family and friends finds peace and comfort.
I’m praying for those she left behind that they might find peace and comfort.
Please anyone thinking about ending your life, reach out and find help. There are people who want to help, but you need to ask, as we do not always see or feel your pain in this busy world. Please give us a chance to help you regain the strength and hope to continue onward with us.
Blessings & hugs to those left behind….
and may heavens light lift Karissa to fly forever in peace from the pain she felt held her earthbound…
Faythe´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday, in Memory of Karissa
Karissa, thank you for the awesome recipes and terrific reviews. I’ve enjoyed reading your blog so much over the past year. May you soar on Angel’s wings beautiful girl.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family and all who loved her.
I am so so sorry to hear this. It seems like such a small thing to say, but Karissa’s blog was a great resource and my favorite green blog. She took extra time to communicate with her readers, and I was looking forward to seeing how her new store would work out. God bless you and your family, Karissa.
Karissa..you are such a sweet & special spirit. You have touch the hearts of so many. God bless you, your friends and family. You will not be forgotten.
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What you lacked in life, I hope and wish you will find in death; You are a beautiful, stunning person inside and out, Karissa, and I know you have a bigger calling then the life you just left-My heart and soul wish you nothing but happiness and peace where you are now.
As for Karissa’s family and all of her friends, my heart goes out to each and every one of you in this difficult time-Even though I didn’t ‘know’ her personally, her death has profoundly effected me as well.
Thank you Trisha for taking charge in this tragedy and speaking on Karissa’s behalf. The world, indeed, has lost a little sunshine today.
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Goodbye Karissa, may the angels hold you close to their hearts.
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RIP
This is tragic news and Karissa’s family and friends are in my heart and prayers. Rest in Peace, Karissa…
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She will be missed…even by us who were only lucky enough to know her through her blog posts.
My thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family.
I am sad to read that I will not enjoy Karissa’s honesty on a daily basis.
Her family is in my thoughts at this difficult time.
Goodbye, sweet Karissa. You’ll be forever loved.
Sorry to hear of this terrible news. I just happened to stop by here from another site that is linked here.
God speed.
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Rest in peace, beautiful one. You will be missed.
Well written. Thank you for posting.
Beautifully written Trista… Goodbye Karissa, hope you found the peace now that you lacked before!
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Thank you for this wonderful post….it is the first one I read last night and how I found out what had happened to this lovely person who was a daily part of my life for the past year…
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Goodbye Karissa
http://jooled.squarespace.com/welcome/2010/1/13/goodbye-karissa.html
Thanks for writing this post Trisha.
Karissa, I miss you already and I am praying for peace for your family.
I echo what Trisha said above. Please remember that we all need someone and always be there for someone, because you never know when you will in turn need someone.
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I hope she found peace and her family is in our hearts and prayers.And you are correct.We all are friends and i hope if there is someone needing help they reach out.Thank you for these kind and inspirational words……
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