A Prayer For Kimmie

Tuneful Angel, a photo by ladylydiebug on Flickr.

When I woke up this morning I realized before I got out of bed that it was November 1st., All Souls Day, a day to remember, and pray for, everyone we've known who has died, and I thought to myself that I should say a prayer for each of them, lying there in the stillness and the dark before the day got bright and noisy.

The older I get the longer the list grows.....There's my beloved parents; my Granddad who died when I was only four; the little McCarthy girl who lived up the road from us and got hit by a car when I was growing up; my grandmother who died when I was seven; my other granny [whom I knew better] who didn't die until after I was married; my mother-in-law, three years ago; a cousin who died a few years ago after a farm accident; a few girls I went to school with, snuffed out by one thing or another; and, one by one, my aunts and uncles, the latest one just weeks ago, until nearly all the people who were part of my world growing up are gone.

However, the person who popped into my head first, before any of the above was the littlest and the sweetest. Her name was Kimmie. She lived next door to us in California. My oldest son and her big brother were best friends. My Lily sometimes babysat for Kimmie to give Sarah, her mom, a break. Sarah had been hurt in a car accident before she knew she was pregnant. X-rays and other procedures were done.........And it meant that Kimmie had a very short and painful life. She had to go to the doctor regularly; she had feeding tubes; her skin would crack and get painfully raw; she failed to grow at a normal rate; she didn't speak. But Kimmie had a light inside her, and the sweetest smile. Everyone who knew her loved her. She rarely made a fuss. And when she died she was barely three.

We all need an angel watching out for us. I hope Kimmie is one of mine.