I just received the email with news of Shaelynn's passing. I have written about her family before. She was two years old and had a brain tumor. She died yesterday morning.
Again, I don't have the words. I just wrote about my shirts. And I don't know what to write in the message board to her parents. My words seem meaningless.
It is hard to live in a world where the joys and depths of sadness all come in the same wave for different people.
I don't want to be a person that stares at tragedy or looks away. I want to offer comfort. I want to offer hope. I want to have just the right words to say. I don't want to say something out of ignorance. I don't want to offend anyone. My response is silence.
It isn't the right response.
I wouldn't want to be met with silence.
I am silenced by fear. Fear of not saying the right thing, fear of saying something dumb.
Sometimes, I think my whole life can be surmised by fear. I don't like it. This fear that holds me back. Fear keeps me away from loving people.
I can't conclude these thoughts. They are ongoing. I pray I change. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.
We have been praying for this little girl too! Her parents are friends of friends of our's from church. (I wonder if you know our friends!?) It really surprised me to see her name at the top of your blog. And from the circumstances I can't imagine we're talking about 2 different girls.
ReplyDeletePraying for you as you search for the right words. I don't know that there are any at times like this.
Renae- I know the Kelly family from East Iowa Bible Camp. I grew up in IA. I have been following her carepages site. It just breaks my heart. I can't imagine the emotions.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way and can't even know what to say. I have been talking with Sarah a lot. Tears just stream down my face - especially how little Shaelynn has shown up on friend's blogs that dont' even know the Kelly's!
ReplyDeleteAny chance you know Dawn & John Hales?
ReplyDeleteThis is so incredibly sad. I really don't know the family at all, only thru Dawn, but there story has touched many.
That is so sad - I will say a prayer for her family. Please don't feel bad that you wrote a blog post about shirts. Things happen everywhere and life goes on. Still... sigh -
ReplyDeleteI will say that it does hurt when lots of people ask for my passwords to protected posts - or lots of people log on to read posts about things that are really upsetting, and I see them click, read and just leave. I don't really write my blog for anyone but Faith and I try to keep that in mind. But sometimes just "I'm sorry" would be more than enough. That's what I was always told to say when you're at a loss for words.
I've never found you to be less than a wonderfully, supportive person who cares about other people.
I love that Bible verse.
xoxoxo
As I discover more and more that I am loved, I find "I love you" to be the most commonly needed form of communication.
ReplyDeleteI Love you!