I was ten when Kirk was born, and I was so excited to have a baby in the family (since I never could convince Mom and Dad to give me a younger sibling!). But at 5:30 in the morning on Sunday, September 18, 1988, our little family gathered in the waiting room at the hospital and heard words that no family ever wants to hear - the baby was gone.
We don't know why God chose to take Kirk to Heaven, but we know that's exactly where he is.
One week after her baby died, my sister sat at the front of the sanctuary where Jeff was the pastor and she talked to all the kids in the church. She wanted to make sure they knew what had happened and that it was okay to be sad or to have questions. She said to them words that still have great meaning to me today as a non-kid:
"I know it's hard for us to understand, and it's probably even harder for all of you to understand what happened. Because I can't explain why it happened. Nobody knows that. I don't understand why we couldn't keep him here and play with him like the other babies. But I want you to know that it's okay to not understand, and it's okay to be sad about it, and it's okay to cry, and it's okay to ask us questions. 'Cause we're really proud of our little boy.
"I want you to remember that Kirk is in Heaven and that Jesus is taking care of him. Someday all of us are going to see him there."
Sorry about the picture quality here - they're scans of a copy of copy...
The only time I held my nephew.
Dad and me watching my other sister hold baby Kirk.Kirk -
[Nineteen] years ago, I held you for the first and last time. But I have never stopped missing you and wondering what life would have been like had you been able to stay.
I can't wish you back. But I can miss you lots. I'm proud to be your aunt, and I'm thankful you were one of God's special works of art - if even for just such a brief time.
Even though you'd be all grown up now,
You're still my baby boy.
My best nephew.
And I love you.
- Aunt Bekah
(from the end of his scrapbook that I put together last year on his 18th birthday.)
4 comments:
Wow cool, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRK!! I am sure you he loves having you as a relative :)
Hmm that might have been right around 2 teddy bears??
AFTER two teddy bears, actually, though I'm sure I still owned that ridiculous sweatshirt. I was a fifth grader when this happened.
I haven't checked YouTube - I wouldn't find that out there, would I??????
Actually yes, Cara uploaded it to her EHS CLASS OF 96 myspace page
please tell me you're kidding.
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