for
Maddie Clifton
Hello, Good-bye
Where's the navigator of your destiny
Where is the dealer of this hand
Who can explain Life and its brevity
'Cause there is nothing here That I can understand...
You and I have barely met
And I just don't want to let go of you yet.
Maddie, hello, good-bye,
I'll see you on the other side.
Maddie, sweet child of mine
I'll see you on the other side...
And so I hold your tiny hand in mine
For the hardest thing I've ever had to face...
Heaven calls for you Before it calls for me
When you get there save me a place
Where I can share your smile
And I can hold you for more than just awhile...
-------
One of my favorite songs by Michael W. Smith
"Hello, Good-Bye"
from his Live the Life Album
While trying to think of the right words to say, I heard this song and immediately
knew it was what I wanted to say. I decided I couldn't say it any better.
(Maddie's name added - Michael and Wayne Kirkpatrick originally wrote this song
for a child named Noah who also only lived a very short time on this earth)
-------
Peace
Thought from the Pond
Eight year-old Maddie Clifton of Jacksonville, Florida was laid to rest Saturday, November 14, 1998. She was the victim of a senseless murder, her body discovered in the home of a neighbor after a week-long disappearance.
Although I never knew Maddie, I sense the magnitude of this loss and the senselessness of her premature death. Since I have two daughters, I can sense, at least in a small way, the saddness and loss which her family is enduring.
How does anyone make sense of this? How do we make this a defining moment where we learn from this and make things better? How does one turn this awful negative into a positive?
One way is to let this serve as a reminder that each moment in life is so very important and we should not wait to give our love and time to our children and others we love because you never know what tomorrow, or even the next moment, will bring...
...Our continued thoughts and prayers to Maddie's family and everyone else that this has affected...
...Food for the Soul to all...
