The New Sky

Aubrey had to go through some tests for her reflux, in Macon, on March 15, 2012. Because her appointment was early and construction was bad on the roads, she and I drove up there, the afternoon before. We stopped in one of those Plantation shops on an exit about 45 minutes into our trip for a bathroom break. She wanted some candy so we set out to find some for under $1 (we were on a pretty tight budget). After many minutes of looking, she was very disappointed to learn there was no such thing in a store like that. The sales girl saw us and decided to show Aub a giant gummy aligator. Aubrey sadly read the price tag out loud: "$3.95...UGH!". The look on her face broke my heart and I decided to break the rules "just this once". I will never forget the joy (or the rib-breaking hug she gave) over that $4 gummy alligator. It made a lasting impression that will never leave this Mama.

Sometimes you have to break the rules, make exceptions and create memories that will forever prove to be priceless.


When we got back on the busy interstate, it was late afternoon, and the sun was setting. I was nervous to be driving on such a busy road, at night, just the two of us. Suddenly, I heard Aubrey gasp and yell "Mama, look at the sky! You have to take a picture NOW!". I tried to argue that it wasn't safe but she insisted. When I finally took my eyes off the road to see for myself, my jaw dropped. She was right. The sky was incredible and I managed to take a slightly blurry picture of a sky scene that could be interpreted many ways.

To me, It looked like the gates of Heaven with God's arms opened wide, accepting us. That started a conversating with my six-year-old baby girl that I had no idea at the time would be so accurate.

Aubrey said "Mama, when I get to Heaven, I'm going to paint the sky. I'll make sunrises and sunsets with every beautiful color and lots of pink and purple. I'll make funny shapes out of the clouds so that you and my boys can watch them going by. And I'll paint the rainbows after a storm for everyone to love".
After clearing my throat several times, I told my girl that it would be a very long time before she went to Heaven and that I would already be there and we could paint the sky together. I remember looking in the rearview mirrow and seeing her smile but shaking her head in disagreement, clearly knowing more than her Mama. It still haunts me that she knew.


Since losing Aubrey, that conversation takes on a new meaning. I study the sky every single day. I see things now that I never noticed before. I admore God's beauty and believe my girl has her own set of paint brushes. My brother-in-law is a song writer in Nashville. After hearing that story, he wrote a song for Aubrey, from my perspective. It, like this blog, is called "Painting Rainbows. Here is the link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v80n7a1fo1wtirr/PaintingRainbows.mp3

After hearing Aubrey's story, I receive a steady flow of pictures of the sky, especially sunrises, sunsets and rainbows. Many sweet friends see them as a reminder of God's love and Aubrey's promises to me. I am so grateful for such a beautiful reminder of both. LOVE