“Hold your precious ones a little longer, hug them a little tighter, tell them how much you love them. It may be the last thing you do.”
It was early Sunday morning, February 3, 2013. The phone rang. I said “Hello.” No one answered on the other end. It was so quiet, but I felt her. I knew it could be only one person… Shaniel. It was always like that when she needed me, really needed me. I said, “Shaniel, is that you?” She began to cry softy… and then the sobs just exploded… with so much pain. I tried not to cry with her, but my heart was breaking. I knew she was hurting I asked her what was wrong. She said, “I don’t know, but I’ve been crying for two weeks and I can’t stop.” She said she was so lonely. At that moment, I began to cry with her. “Do you need a hug Shaniel?” “Yes!” I couldn’t talk. She couldn’t talk. We were both crying. Oh… how I yearned to reach my arms through the phone at that very moment, pull her close to me, next to my heart, and comfort my crying little girl! Hearing her heart wrenching sobs were more than I could bear. My heart was aching, splitting in two. Shaniel needed her mother, and I wasn’t there. A mother is suppose to chase her children’s fears away, kiss their hurts, protect them, comfort them, and cheer them up when they are sad.
The morning she called, exactly one week before she was taken from us, I was still so very sick. I had just gotten out of the hospital and was still in a weakened condition. I didn’t feel like I could make the 3 hour drive to her house, but told her I would. Being a nurse, her sensibility told her that it wasn’t the best thing I could do. It would be too big a trip for my condition. I asked her if she would go to Aunt (K’s) house. She had always been like a second mother to her, and I reassured her that she would get her much needed hug. And she did! She visited with her aunt and uncle all that afternoon while the kids played in the toys. I was so grateful for a loving sister and brother-in-law that gave my little girl both time and much needed comfort that day.
Had I known that would be the last day I would hold my sweet Shaniel in my arms, I would have done anything… ANYTHING, to be there with her. Life is so precious; so fragile. We don’t know how or when our life, or the life of a loved one, will be taken. So hold your precious ones in your arms a little longer, hug them a little tighter, and tell them how much you love them. It may be the last thing you do.
Written by Shaniel's mother, Carol
October 1, 2013
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