Remembering Maeve

She was the first person to teach me about the gift of life.

Maeve is my oldest niece. No longer with us on Earth, she went on to better, more beautiful things two years ago today. She'd be just over two and a half years old if she was still with us.

This little girl was the first child I loved with all my heart. The closest thing to my own child. I know if anything happened to my sister and brother-in-law, the rest of the world would have had to fight me for that gorgeous baby.

Maeve spent the last two months of her life in the hospital, fighting to survive despite a series of heart defects and problems related to Noonan Syndrome.

My niece's sheer will to live taught me that life is something precious and worth fighting for.

Brigid would tell me stories of this little girl, battling to live despite an open chest covered with only a piece of surgical tape, and tears streaming down her tiny, cherubic face because of the pain associated with her feeding tube.

Maeve taught me that time here is fleeting. Whether I live to be 35 or 95 - every day is precious and miraculous. Take nothing for granted, because each breath is a gift from God.

Maeve taught me that, while grief never completely vanishes, it turns into something softer, more bearable.

Today, Maeve's lessons are my mission. Carpe Diem is more than a trite Latin saying. It is a philosophy I hold dear. I also know I will survive any heartbreak or challenge life gives me.

And that those heartbreaks and challenges are sometimes gifts or opportunities for growth.

It is amazing to me - a little baby girl who lived for seven fleeting months is able to teach me so much.

And she continues to do so.

KayKay loves you, Maevey Bean.
xoxo


Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.