Friday, May 28, 2010

The Grace of God

All parents have their near-miss stories about their children - the tales of accidents narrowly avoided, of hours spent in the emergency room awaiting stitches, of fevers spiked and calmed, of catastrophes that might have been but weren't.  "Can you imagine?," we say to one another, or "It could have been so much worse."  "That was a close one," and "we got lucky."  We parents get a hushed-voice, illicit thrill in telling these stories because we know that the end of the story is happy before we begin.  Part of that thrill, too, is in knowing that the end of such stories isn't happy for everyone and that we're blessed because we came through the experience with only our story to tell, plus maybe a bump, bruise, or scar as a souvenir.  "There but for the grace of God go we," and so, implicitly, necessarily, that means that some parents' stories are of tragic accidents rather than near-misses.  And we smug, lucky, hushed-voice storytellers usually get to avoid meeting that raw fact head on.  But not this time.

Kylie Marie
01/21/10 - 05/27/10

Last Sunday my niece Kylie sustained an injury from which she was not able to recover, and my brave brother and sister-out-law chose to keep her alive until recipients could be found for her organ donation.  She passed away yesterday at 5:20 in the evening after saving the lives of 3 other children and bringing such beautiful, pure joy to all of our lives.  We will miss her always, we will love her always, and we will honor her memory always.  She has left a Kylie-shaped hole in our hearts that nothing and no one else can fill.  In time our hearts will repair themselves and grow a thick carapace around what's missing, but we will always remember her, we will always wonder what could have been, and we will always, always love our sweet girl.


9 comments:

Amelia and Soren said...

I wish there was something to say to make things better. I'm so sorry for you family's loss. What an amazing gift to those three children.

Sarah said...

There are no words.... Just my thoughts and prayers sent in the direction of you and your family. May you find peace in her memories and know that she is in good hands with God now.

Brianna said...

This is a beautiful tribute yo your sweet niece. You and your family have been in my thoughts and prayers this week. I am so sorry you all have to go through this. I will hug my kids a little tighter tonight.

MaryKate said...

I think heroes don't come from some great moment when something amazing is accomplished. I think heroes come out the dark wrenching moments of tragedy that we somehow bring to the light and make meaningful. Your family, in a time of grief, gave a great gift saving the life of three other little children. That is what it takes to be a hero. In Spanish you don't say 'I'm sorry' you say "Lo siento" which loosely translated means "I feel it". So, 'lo siento', to you and your family Christina.

Unknown said...

I am in tears reading your wonderful and beautiful tribute to your sweet little niece. I feel for your family and wish there was something I could say or do to make all of you feel better. Know that my thoughts are with you all!

Karis Campbell said...

Thank you for having the generosity to share this sad and brave tale with all of us. She has touched all of our lives thanks to you and we will all be better parents/people as a result of knowing her and her story. I know that I'm now especially grateful for every single day that I have with my loved ones and vow not to be the smug parent relishing my near misses. This event absolutely grounds all of us in a reality that forces us to recognize how truly precious every moment is with the people we love. All is fleeting, all is temporary.

Thanks to the generosity and bravery of her two parents there are a few more grateful souls in the world today! Kylie's legacy will prevail with the great gift of life that she has given to three other children in need and the gift of appreciation to all of the rest of us!

I wish that there was something we could do or say to ease the pain of this immense loss. We really ache for you and your family. Please know that we love you so much.

The Bucklers

Joel said...

Really, Christina, There isn't much I can say that feels meaningful or strong enough.

We aren't overly close but I am so very sorry for the loss you and your family are enduring now.

You are right, eventually the pain will become distant, and your beautiful little niece is in heaven bouncing on God's knee right now, but that does not make the loss and pain less real or less valid.

You're in my thoughts and prayers and if you need anything you can let me know.
~Joel

Matty Bucks said...

I am so sorry for your brother and sister-out-law's loss. I cannot imagine outliving my daughter. I am awed at their strength to donate Kylie's organs. How courageous, thoughtful and so ultimately selfless of them. It shows their resilience and I find it encouraging that they will make it through this tragedy. My heart and my tears go out to them.

Thank you, Christina, for sharing. May Kylie be in our thoughts and actions forever.

knittykat said...

Oh my goodness, I just saw this...I'm so so so sorry for your loss.