 |
I decided that it was about time that I make another entry. I would like to begin with two things. First, thank you to those of you who commented and expressed condolences and warm thoughts. I really appreciated that and it was very encouraging. Secondly, CONGRATULATIONS LANA AND NEVEN!!!. I'm so excited for you two and hope that you have a very blessed and beautiful marriage.
Mary Elizabeth Nikides died of heart failure after two grande mal seizures on the 18th of November. My mom and one of our friends, Nicole, bathed her and dressed her before the funeral service people came. She didn't experience pain in going. Mom tried to revive her with CPR etc., but it was her time to go. Since then, we have been to two memorials and her funeral. The first memorial was held in West Ealing, London and over 9 nations were present there. There was a lot of crying as we sang "Jesus Loves Me", the song Momma sang to her almost every night since she was born. Through all of the sorrow though, there was a presence of great joy. We know that Elizabeth is with Jesus now. More than anyone, Elizabeth has been a picture of how we should worship God. There was no music like praise, hymns, and children's Bible songs, that Elizabeth enjoyed more. She would sing and often lift her hands in worship. For some this may be a hard thing to comprehend. Elizabeth was mentally handicapped and lived permanantly as a 4 or 5 year old, but she understood so much more than most of us ever will. She broke down barriers everywhere she went. People who didn't want to be touched or loved could not turn Elizabeth's love away. She hugged and kissed until you could only return those hugs and kisses.
Two days after the first memorial we flew to the States. We arrived in Atlanta and stayed the evening. The next morning we drove to Charleston, which is where my Momma grew up and where a lot of our family is. On Saturday we celebrated with the rest of our family at my cousin Rachel's wedding. Rachel was 6 days older than Elizabeth. It was a beautiful wedding, but I can't help but get choked up when I think of what my Aunt Jane said. Although it seems sad, the reality is that Elizabeth got to meet her bridegroom before Rachel did. Elizabeth is now experiencing the perfect marriage, with a perfect body; she is with her God and my God. The Sunday after Rachel's wedding we went to church with Uncle Mark at his church in the morning. It was a little too charismatic for my tastes, but it was still good. At the end we were invited to the front, along with my Aunt Julia and of course Uncle Mark, Aunt Jane, the twins, Seth and Joel. The elders and deacons then came and laid hands on us and prayed. Some prayed in tongues, which was a little awkward for us, but that was not where the meaning was. What was wonderful about that was the great outpouring of love and prayers, hope and friendship for our family. It was an amazing experience. Later that evening we went to Church Creek, a PCA presbyterian reformed church, which was a little closer to how we like to worship. We had communion there, which was wonderful. Two couples spoke to my parents afterward who had both lost children at young ages. I think that it was a very encouraging experience. The funny part was when I told a couple that I had considered voting for Kerry. The look on their faces was priceless. Dad said that for them, my saying like that was: Voting for the Christian was hard, b/c the devil looked really attractive. I had to laugh at that.
The next day we drove up to Alexandria, VA to my Aunt Julia's. We went to the Pentagon Mall and I mangaged to start crying in Eddie Bauer. Sometimes the tears come and you really can't stop them. I'm so happy for Elizabeth, but I miss her terribly. As time passes I feel her abscence more, and that is harder than the immediate sharpness of her death. The next day we drove up to Boonsboro, Maryland where Elizabeth was to be buried. Several generations of our family are buried there. I looked at Elizabeth one more time, and although that was hard, it was not as bad as I originally feared. Elizabeth wasn't there anymore, that was just the shell. My Uncle Mark gave the sermon at the graveside and we sang a hymn. His sermon was bittersweet and appropriate. We all cried, but still there is an air of hope. After she was buried we visited Grandma's grave and the graves of some of our ancestors. For all, but my mom, this was our first time to see where some of our ancestors were buried. Elizabeth's sense of humor managed to pervade the rest of the day. My great Aunt and Uncle locked their keys in the car, so the Boonsboro Fire Rescue had to come. This is a tiny town, so all 7 of their fire force came to open up their car. Every car that passed by either waved or stopped to chat. If Boonsboro has a local paper, I'm sure we made the news. For those of you who knew Elizabeth, you know she must have been laughing her butt off up in heaven. She always loved attention. I'm still not sure, however, how one could possibly need 7 people to open an old oldsmobile. Afterward we went to the Red Bird, which had fabulous crabcakes. The crabcakes, however, were all they could boast about. I had creamed spinach and macaroni salad as sides, both of which were loaded with sugar; yes...creamed spinach with sugar... Their special of the day was creamed chicked over waffles. That was more than a little bewildering.
The day after Elizabeth was buried we drove to Birmingham, AL. We stayed at some wonderful friends there. I got to see Carsen for the first time in 2 years and was so glad that I got to see her. Sadly, I wasn't able to visit Kendell, but I had a good conversation with her on the phone. The evening we got in I went to visit Carsen at Jim and Nicks. We spent part of Thursday and most of Saturday together. She gave me Buffy Season 7 b/c her mom got a copy in England, not realizing that it won't play on American DVD players. So I was thrilled to pieces. I also picked up some comic books, which I sorely miss. Friday we held Elizabeth's second memorial at Altadena Presbyterian Church. There were around 100 people there. People came from Panama City, FL and Atlanta, GA. Again, it was a wonderful service, still laced with hope. What has meant the most to me, is not just how much people loved Elizabeth, but how much they have and are loving us. It is wonderful. God has been so good to us through all of this. Sunday we went to Oak Mountain Presbyterian and had great communion. Bob Flayheart, the pastor, gave communion and talked about how Martin Luther said that communion was the kiss of Christ. It was wonderful.
We're now in Panama City, FL staying with some dear friends of ours, the people that Martha lives with and is nanny for. Now is harder than before. It's quiet here and I have more time for introspection, which is a little bit scary. God is good though, and He is taking care of us and me through all of this.
I hope that this letter from me to you finds you all healthy and happy. I apologize for the delay.
|
|
Previous 
stressed
awake
![[info]](http://library.vu.edu.pk/cgi-bin/nph-proxy.cgi/000100A/http/web.archive.org/web/20050210194120im_/http:/=2fstat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
