Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A new friend.

Not sure if you all caught a relatively new commentator here on Kyrie's blog, but Amy Nelson has fast become a new friend of Kyrie's.

It is rare that someone outside an intimate circle of family & friends allows himself or herself to partake in their journey, but we've witnessed it over & over again here in the last year. In fact, we've wanted and prayed for just that. But how to make that invitation real? How to connect in a way that alters someone's thinking and that initiates action not for our benefit but for their good?

Somehow, some way it has happened.

This past Sunday, Amy spoke at the Mulvane United Methodist Church during their JAM (Jesus And Me) service. It's a casual, contemporary program sustained by incredibly talented musicians and a community of Christians sharing the Bible as it applies to everyday life. As the keynote speaker for that Sunday, Amy shared her introduction to Kyrie and subsequent series of godwinks, which could be described as divine coincidences, but frankly, I don't really believe in coincidences. ;)

For Amy, a mother of three boys, it started with a simple e-mail forward about our pink bracelets and escalated into finding a brand new friend in Melissa and carrying Kyrie's story into a public presentation. Can you believe that?!?!? Amy shared how conflicted she had been deciding whether or not she was the right person to tell Kyrie's story as well as the story of her dear friend who tragically lost a teenage daughter last summer. Amy had not lost a daughter. She was not a family member. Who was she to deliver a message about these girls?

She was precisely the right person, that's who.

Her experience, her message, I believe, was the message of empathy and compassion. She, a total stranger turned kindred spirit, is an example for the person who just stumbled onto this blog today, who is reading this story for the very first time and who is wondering what on earth this little girl means to him or her.

Of course, the presentation was difficult to get through, both for us and for Amy, but the comfort came as fast as the tears. Delivered with such kindness and love, it was as if Amy had been with us the whole time. She was just as confused and hurt by God's will as we are, and she, too, is trusting in the promise, just as we are.

That's why, at the close of her presentation, she beautifully sang Natalie Grant's "Held." When I say "beautifully," I mean "incredibly," "amazingly" and "wonderfully." How she got through it, I'll never know. To the person at the light switch: Thank you for dimming the lights. It helped all of us.

Amy says that there is a photo of Kyrie hanging on her fridge now. Just like family, no? Thank you, Amy. Thank you for caring, listening and answering your call. Amazing.

That's the take-away from all of this. The Kyrie Foundation was started because we want to end the decimating pain that pediatric brain cancer causes families. We began the foundation with an order of t-shirts and a truckload faith that others may want to join the fight. This open invitation is really an open door into our spiritual home, where our hearts struggle, our ideas materialize and our hope prevails. And one by one, the others are coming. Thank you. Oh, you have no idea how we thank you.

With Kyrie, she wasn't the first child to be lost to brain cancer, and as breathtakingly painful as this reads, she will not be the last. However, as a result of Jordan & Lacie sharing her story with us, she has become a touchpoint, a symbolic reference for all children battling this disease, an open door to a dialogue with God and reminder to those of us left behind that we can be a conduit for goodness & grace, if we so choose.

3 comments:

Melissa said...

As always, perfectly put and beautifully said, Megan...

I thank God for Kyrie on a daily basis. Selfishly, I thank him for putting her here to make me a better person. I know there are so many other reasons to be thankful for that one little angel's all too brief existence on this planet.

Today I thank Him and I thank Kyrie for giving me a new friend...for allowing my heart to grow just a little more...for allowing healing where I never thought I would heal...

Amy, I know I've privately thanked you, but I want to publicly thank you for taking that step forward in faith and putting your heart out there for all of us to see. Thanks for letting God give that message through you. You will never know what it has meant to me and to so many others...I just love you!! :)

This was an incredibly inspiring weekend. So many opportunities to "do good" in Kyrie's name on the horizon. I hope and pray you'll all "stick with us" and that we can together fight this good fight and WIN!

Big Love,
Melissa

PS. The bracelets are selling like CRAZY!! Keep the orders coming! Thanks to all of you who have already ordered and who are wearing those bracelets and telling the story. It's people like you who will make this all happen!

Coach's Wife said...

To my new friends, your messages made me cry! What is completely amazing is that for all of the times in the last three weeks that I have doubted, I have been doubly assured in my faith through this experience. I too am a better person for having known of Kyrie's story and for getting to meet such special people. You are a wonderful group of people that I now can call friends and I will continue to follow and spread the word about Kyrie's foundation. Megan, your words are beautiful and so inspiring. I look forward now to what you'll write as a weekly devotion and would encourage others to do the same. Melissa, having you help me through the confusion of God's work has been such a blessing and I know that we'll be friends for a long time. For Jordan and Lacie, I am blessed to have met you and will pray for your strength and healing daily. Kyrie will never be far from my heart or far from the hearts of my family and my church family.

Thank you for your kind words about the message. I would LOVE to take credit for it, but know that it was God that truly wrote the message and gave me the gift of song. I will never hear that song again and not think of you. Thank you also for your thoughts and prayers for Lindsey Moser's family. Losing her is still so unreal and I know that they will need continued prayers. Your cookbooks are on the way and we will sport our "Kyrie gear" with pride.

Keep up the good work with all that is happening with the foundation and know that The Nelson family is always on board to help in whatever way that we can.

Love and prayers to you all!!!
Your new friend,
Amy

Julie Myers said...

How amazing is our God....I hope to become a new friend as well. My 11 year old son and I are going to attend the Mark Shultz concert this weekend in Holland, MI, and in preparing for the excitement of the concert, I wanted to find out more about this "Kyrie's Gift" which this concert is benefiting. I logged on to the website, read a little bit, and watched the tribute video. With tears streaming down my face, I thanked God for my three beautiful, healthy children (my youngest being just a few months older than Kyrie!) After watching the video AGAIN just now, God prodded me to leave a message for you.....Kyrie is so BEAUTIFUL, and I know that she is with God running and playing, and doing all of the fun things that 2 year olds do....I can see in the pictures how very much she was (is!)loved....and how we should all cherish the gift of the children God has given us....I could go on and on, but I just want you to know that another person in Holland, MI is holding you up in prayer....and I will think of Kyrie and send special prayers her way on Friday as Mark sings to her and for her.... I will continue to follow your BLOG and pray for this Ministry...God Bless You for honoring Kyrie's memory in this very special way...