By Michael Bourke, delivered Sunday, November 18, 2012
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| Kailee Daniels on Nov. 6 with one of her Grandfathers |
"People will forget what you have said,
And People will forget what you did,
But, People will never forget how you made them feel."
And in these past 14 days, haven’t we all felt the spirit of God move gently, quietly and peacefully in our lives?
Most obviously, we have all felt the spirit of God when we looked at and held that small, frail, beautiful little baby, Kailee Renee Daniels. My heart changed forever the moment I saw her; an ephemeral gift from God made all the more poignant by the knowledge that Kailee was destined to be with us for a very short period of time as Kai described her medical condition to me.
I felt the Spirit of God move gently, quietly and peacefully in our lives through the doctors, nurses, caregivers and ministry team at the hospital as they not only cared for Kailee but also cared for Kai and Tocarra as Kai and Tocarra moved through the process of caring for and making difficult decisions on behalf of Kailee.
I felt the Spirit of God move through Verneida, Kai’s Grandmother and Ernie’s mother, when she whispered in my ear on Sunday “You have arrived, Ernie is on his way, Kai will be okay. Now I can go home.”
I felt the gentle Spirit of God move quietly and peacefully through Tocarra’s mom, Francis, Dad Ron, Great Aunt Doris, best friends Mee-ah and Gary as they nurtured Tocarra, Kai and Kailee, making sure that Tristan and Camarie were cared for, that Tocarra and Kai ate and slept and that all of us who gathered at Children’s Hospital were made to feel welcome and loved.
I felt the Spirit of God move gently, quietly and peacefully through Carlos, Kai’s best friend since 4th grade as he said to Kai with tears streaming down his face “I am here for you Kai.”
I witnessed the gentle, quiet and peaceful Spirit of God move through Renee, Kai’s mom, as she held the baby, through his sister Deanna as she cared for her brother, through the gentle hug of Kai’s other dad Ernie and his partner Greg, through the spirit filled words of Roncill and Stan and Tashia and the reassuring touch of Kai’s Aunt Renee and cousin Tambra.
And finally, I felt the Spirit of God move most evidently and most gently, quietly and peacefully through Kai and Tocarra as they listened to what other had to say without judgment or denial, as they listened to each other and came to intelligent, well informed and respectful decisions, as they made tough choices that impacted not only their baby but the children of others as well. Kai and Tocarra gave, through their pain so that others might feel joy—now isn’t that the very essence of the Spirit of God?
I felt the Spirit of God move gently, quietly and peacefully through Kai and Tocarra when as they held Kailee the nurse offered medicine to keep Kailee calm so that they might lay her down, they said no, they would hold her, and in holding her kept her calm in their gentle loving arms. No medicine is better than the love of a parent.
And finally, when the end of this life came for Kailee I was honored to witness the gentle, quiet and peaceful Spirit of God move through Kai and Tocarra as they washed their sweet precious baby Kailee for the last time, Tocarra curling her hair with her finger and Kai, struggling to get her t-shirt on as all new father’s seem to do.
In the new book "Far From The Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity" by Andrew Solomon. The author states: “Life is enriched by difficulty,” he says. “Love is made more acute when it requires exertion.”
And now that Kai and Tocarra have experienced this difficulty, that they have been made more aware of love through this acute exertion, I pray that the gentle, quiet and peaceful Spirit of God may continue to move in their lives and bring them peace. Amen.
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