My heart hurts as I write this. For
the last several years Teresita, a young woman of 19, has been a close friend and family
member of my niece and sister. She and her younger sister were adopted by a nice family, rescued from pretty frightening bio-parents.
She spent the last year trying to discover herself; who she was; where she belonged. She was much like any other 19 year old, just a bit more intense.
Ten days ago, Teresita was killed in a horrible auto accident. Three other young people died, one person is in a coma, one is on life support and another walked away with a couple of bumps and bruises.
Saturday we attended her funeral service. The service was incredibly sad but not for the reason one might think. I walked out of that service feeling as if I had just been cornered in a back corner of a used-car sales lot. Even sadder, so did the kids that shared life with Teresita and my niece.
The crew of kids loved and cherished Teresita. They are all devastated by her death. They left the services extremely angry with the church and God. We met with them after the service and all of them felt as if the service was, "Sorry your friend died, nothing I can say is going to make you feel better so as long as we have to be here let me sell you God!"
There was so little about Teresita and her wonderful nurturing, loving personality. She was a pillar of a young woman in the way she supported and protected her friends. She was estranged from both her adoptive family and bio family so those kids were, easily, her family for the last year.
I believe in God. I know the strength that Faith can offer in times of grief. Not one of the kids that attended the services had anything to hold onto as they left. The service focused on two days in her 19 years of life, days when she was much younger, for a few short minutes. The other two hours was used to evangelize.
We will be having a Celebration of Life service for Teresita later this summer. We will be celebrating Teresita's life, sharing stories, videos and pictures. Maybe some of her favorite songs and favorite things.
God will definitely be in attendance at our service but will not shove the beautiful spirit of this young woman aside to take center stage. I believe in God with all my heart and believe, again, with all my hear, that God will not mind sharing the light with her beautiful soul.
You will be missed, Teresita. You were loved.
She spent the last year trying to discover herself; who she was; where she belonged. She was much like any other 19 year old, just a bit more intense.
Ten days ago, Teresita was killed in a horrible auto accident. Three other young people died, one person is in a coma, one is on life support and another walked away with a couple of bumps and bruises.
Saturday we attended her funeral service. The service was incredibly sad but not for the reason one might think. I walked out of that service feeling as if I had just been cornered in a back corner of a used-car sales lot. Even sadder, so did the kids that shared life with Teresita and my niece.
The crew of kids loved and cherished Teresita. They are all devastated by her death. They left the services extremely angry with the church and God. We met with them after the service and all of them felt as if the service was, "Sorry your friend died, nothing I can say is going to make you feel better so as long as we have to be here let me sell you God!"
There was so little about Teresita and her wonderful nurturing, loving personality. She was a pillar of a young woman in the way she supported and protected her friends. She was estranged from both her adoptive family and bio family so those kids were, easily, her family for the last year.
I believe in God. I know the strength that Faith can offer in times of grief. Not one of the kids that attended the services had anything to hold onto as they left. The service focused on two days in her 19 years of life, days when she was much younger, for a few short minutes. The other two hours was used to evangelize.
We will be having a Celebration of Life service for Teresita later this summer. We will be celebrating Teresita's life, sharing stories, videos and pictures. Maybe some of her favorite songs and favorite things.
God will definitely be in attendance at our service but will not shove the beautiful spirit of this young woman aside to take center stage. I believe in God with all my heart and believe, again, with all my hear, that God will not mind sharing the light with her beautiful soul.
You will be missed, Teresita. You were loved.
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