“They will remember the feeling of their hearts bursting with joy when you would look at them and smile...”
Sometimes I think that when Scarlett’s soul spoke with God before she was born, he said to her, “I can give you a life completely free from sin, so when you come back to me, I will hold you amongst the most high.” I imagine Scarlett saying, “That sounds great, but what’s the catch?” and God saying:
“You will not be able to talk, you will not be able to run or play or experience a romance or create, or read a book. It will be difficult; it will be painful. You will experience moments of deep sadness and loneliness and you will not be able to tell any other person about how you’re feeling or about what your dreams are. But I will give you the most glorious of dreams, where you will run and swim and fly and shout to the sky, and I will give you a fierce mother to believe in and fight for you, a kind and gentle father to adore and care for you, and quirky, charismatic sisters to make you laugh and bring you joy. But most of all, I will bring you angels to hear your stories, bring you comfort and ease your pain, and they will always be with you.
“In your 17th year, I will bring you back to me while you sleep, and you will be at peace.”
And Scarlett would have said, “But why, God, would you need such a life in that world?”
God would have replied, “You will be a jewel to this family. You will teach them how to truly love, and remind them how much joy can be found in the smallest of gestures, and how much pleasure can be taken from the simplest of things. You will teach them to embrace the short time they have with each other in that world. You will give them the perspective to reassess their priorities, and you will instil them with values of kindness, compassion, selflessness, inclusiveness, and gratitude.
“You will be the best gift that I can give to this family, and while it will sometimes be difficult for them too, they will know they have been truly blessed to have these 16 short years with you. They will remember the feeling of their hearts bursting with joy when you would look at them and smile, and they will smile when they remember you for the beautiful soul that you are.”
I imagine that Scarlett is now with her angels, leaping, twirling, gliding, singing and laughing, and lovingly looking back at those whose lives were lucky enough to be blessed by hers.
Until our souls meet again, my darling little sister. Your beautiful soul is now free.
Kristin Smith
October 2015
