I was composing a post about Kala today, and didn't realize until just now that she would have been 19 years old tomorrow, born 12/7/1992.
As befits a child of the Internet age, Kala's memorials were mostly online and began springing up shortly after her death. I had tried unsucessfully to get into her MySpace page while she was alive, to gain some insight into her life as an adolescent, but unfortunately she did not grant my friend request, so that door is probably forever closed.
Just this minute, however, I did find what looks like a blog entry from August 2007 authored by her, the first one I've found. You and I are going to read it, right now, for the first time:
Okay this is my first entry..So I gues I
wil give you my background info. My mom is a substance abuser and has
been sence befor i was born. I dont know my real dad but i know thatone
that reaised me.. I guess he did an okay job for being a freak and a
drunk. Just resently my mom tryed to take off like she used to and he
ended up hitting her and then he got his dumb ass taken to jail. Well
then we lost our house because he wasnt around to pay thebills so now im
liviong with my grandma and thats very hard for em because when i was
living with my parents thye didnt much care what i did as long as i was
home in the morning. They would sometimes check and see who id be hangin
out with but they wernt as prying as normal parents are and now that my
granny wants to know every last detail of what im doing its annying as
fuck cuz im wayyyy not used to someone careing that much...NOw my Dad is
out of jail and my [parents are living in an appartment all the way
across town. When i see them its mostly because 1) i need money OR 2) I
want to chill with some of my friends and do crazy shit like i used to.
SO i go over there my friends pic me up and its a party all nigth long..
but that rarely happens cuz my granny get all suspious and weired.
Schools about to start and I way worried that things will get worse ove
the school year but I hoping that my parents wll find a nwer house and
ill get to movie back in with them.. That was my background info so If i
seem a little messed up thats why,Current Mood: 
cold
coldThis is Kala writing in her own voice and with a very clear-eyed view of the reality of her life. This was how she began her sophomore year in high school. I wish I could say that any of it is surprising. [pause to gaze out basement window]
Moving on...
At some point, I want to find time to post some of the many pictures we have of Kala from when she was small, since they will give a better idea of what she looked like during her early years. In the meantime, links abound (below): they give a good idea of how, in spite of the personal stresses in her life, Kala had a core of sweetness and really connected with the people she knew in a positive way.
In Memory of Kala Marie Hardy Facebook page
4/6/08 MySpace tribute
4/28/08: RIP Kala YouTube tribute (2,031 views as of 10/26/11)
5/30/08: Rest In Peace Kala Hardy (1,173 views)
12/15/2008: YouTube Kala Hardy RIP YouTube
Sysoon (online death information site) 
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