Elliana

Elliana Olivet Jauregui went home, October 13th, 2009.

Even though Ellie is not an "O'Brien boy," and my boys didn't even really know her (due to distance), it has impacted them in some way... especially Micah.

I've never really had to talk about death with Micah before. He'll ask questions about my Grandma and Grandpa and I'll tell him that they raised me and loved me and now they've gone to be with Jesus in Heaven. Their bodies just stopped working, like a battery wearing down.

Micah is very curious about this and will repeat what he remembers from our discussions to me often. And when Ellie died, it was the same. Only, this time, he saw my tears - he could sense the pain death brought. I showed him pictures of Ellie... a beautiful little girl who looked about his age. He repeated the story I told him about how Ellie's body just stopped working and that she went to Heaven.

And then he repeated the story to every-single-person we saw for the next week....
I'm amazed at a child's fearless contention with pain, sorrow, and the unknown. We adults like to talk about it with a numinous reverence...

I'm so sorry that they didn't know Ellie better here on this Earth. There was a beautiful, peaceful simplicity to Ellie. There was a deep love the family had for her, though she never had to earn the love she received.

My heart hurts so much for my cousin, Abby and her husband, Tano. I want to be there... because I know that if one of my children met the Lord before I did, I would want Abby by my side - almost more than anyone. She's a deeply loving and compassionate person. God is wise to have placed Ellie in their care for eight years.