It does not seem possible that my precious girl, Markelle, would have been 16 years old today… This would mean driving, high school, texting, boys, maybe a job that would provide Markelle with that much wanted financial freedom that most teens want… Yikes!!!
I can only imagine Markelle at this age and the things she would be passionate about and involved in. She wanted to be just like Mikalie, so likely she would be as much like her as would be allowed in their sisterly love : )
Every year in memory of Markelle our family does a service project as our gift to her. This year our family is helping to provide Christmas for a family that does not have the ability to have one otherwise. One of the gifts we gave was a pair of pajamas because Markelle loved pajama days more than anything. In addition, we also will continue to purchase journals that I will give to the new girls I meet through the prison ministry. I encourage them to write in their journals when they pray for something so that they can look back and see that God really does hear and answer their prayers.
It is amazing to see the impact Markelle has in so many lives even today, in my life and those that know her only through hearing about her. She had such a full life in those short years; it was truly amazing to be part of them!
Markelle was my gift from God and the years she was with us are so precious!
Every day I think of Markelle and over the last couple of weeks leading up to the 5 years since she has been gone, I have been thinking of all the wonderful times I had with her and how blessed I was to be her mom. It hit me the other day that I am so afraid of not remembering things about her life. And the longer she has been gone I notice that it is becoming more difficult for Gage to remember her too.
One of my favorite memories was the Wednesday before Markelle went into the hospital. She was sitting on the couch snapping her fingers, bopping her head, and tapping her foot while singing her heart out to the theme song to Suite life of Zack and Cody. The next night Markelle and I sat in the overstuffed chair and watched several episodes of Roseanne together. We just sat there, with our hands interlocked. I remember smelling her hair and the way her hand felt in mine!
The last day she was with us I lay next to her in her hospital bed and I desperately wanted to soak up every moment, the smell of her hair, the way her hand felt in mine… just being her mom… What I would give for just one more day! We spent that day talking about her life and all that she loved. How she loved school, babies and doing math problems… And oh how much she wanted to be just like her big sister! Wearing a two piece swimsuit after Dr. Meyers told her she gave her a “perfect bikini belly!” How was I supposed to say no after the doctor gave her the go ahead? There was so much to my smart-witted and precious little girl!
How is it possible that in 10 short years our Markelle touched so many lives? In those 10 years she spent so much of it in the hospital and so much of it fighting for her life… And now to look back and see that she changed me and she touched so many people is a miracle in and of itself.
There is so much that she shared in the 10 years she was with us that I desperately want to remember it all. There are memories that you may have of her that I don’t know or that I may not remember. Over the next little while if you have a memory of Markelle that you would like to share with me, please do…
