You were born so many years ago and left us way too soon.
You were only but three when we found out that your life would be so short.
Yet that never seemed to affect you or how you treated others.
You saw past their flaws and hurts and kept such a beautiful smile on your face.
Many were cruel and mean to you, yet you never told them the truth.
The truth that their words and evil looks cut deep into your heart.
They would make fun of your glasses, and the blemishes that your illness would cause.
Instead, you stood there hurt and alone knowing their words were only cries from hurt people.
I never knew the problems you had until you were gone.
The hurt and pain of those people, thrown at you almost every day.
What I got to share with you was your intense love for life. Each time I saw you, you would run and give me a hug.
I long and loving hug, a hug I would have to tell you to stop, but now I long for.
And if I were leaving, that hug would be right there to tell me goodbye.
For you knew more than the rest of us did, that each day was numbered.
Before we would know it, your caring and loving life would be gone.
None of us were ready and none of us would understand.
Looking back on your life I can see the good that you had done.
Bring love into everyone’s life that touched you, even those that used to be so cruel to you.
After your death, many of those same people came to your funeral with tears in their eyes.
Saying how they never knew that you were sick. How they wished they could go back and change things they had done.
How they were so wrong.
While I never was cruel to you, but often felt that your extra-long hugs were annoying.
I know I sometimes got upset when I was in such a rush and asked you to let go.
Now I would do anything to have your extra-long annoying hugs again.
This poem was written about the long hugs that my beautiful niece Naomi used to give me. She passed at the age of 16 after a long battle with a very rare disease that most do not live past the age of 18. This disease is a form of autoimmunity disease that the body attacks itself. Over time she lost some hearing and sight, which caused her to require a liver transplant. Sadly, one did not come in time for her.
Please visit the Donate for Life website at https://donatelife.net/ and become a registered donor. You can save a Life.
