When people hear that I’ve had a child who passed away when she was 8 1/2 years old, they almost always say something like, “She was so young.” And she was, but I’m always amazed at just how much someone so young has touched so many people’s lives.
This morning I called Todd Hochberg to ask for permission to put some of the photographs from my daughter‘s last day in the memoir I’ve written about what happened and he said yes. When he gave me the photographs he asked if he could have permission to use those photographs for things like awareness and show others how they help to capture those last moments with your little one. Both Keith and I sign a form saying we were fine with that.
Something I hadn’t expected was to hear how those final moment with our little baby girl have touched so many others out there today. They show how even in the midst of our great tragedy he was able to capture moment where we were smiling and doing things like giving her her last bath, or dressing her or simply doing her fingernails. Even on my daughter‘s last day she still has continued to touch people’s lives.
In a way her youthfulness will continue to live on in all of us as we embrace who she was and know we had one very special angel living around us for her 8 1/2 years on this earth.
She does look like an angel! And a happy one. I don’t think people realize how much laughter goes on in heaven. They just think it’s a bunch of saints sitting on clouds with little cherubs flying around their heads, but I know for a fact people seriously crack up up there. They laugh at us, too, I’m sure, but only in the nicest way. Thanks for sharing about your little girl. I’ll bet she’s doing some great work for the kingdom.
Robert, thank you for your heartfelt comment. It brought a smile to my face as I picture what you talked about. I’d have no problem seeing Mari helping to make other smile as she had the sweetest personality.