farewell, Olivia

Fare thee well and sweet dreams, Olivia.
I would have liked to have had the opportunity to know you better. Sadly, that will only occur through the stories told with love by those you left behind.
I would have liked to have held your hand in mine as we ran back and forth in the living room of your home. My bfe shared that story with me. Your Uncle Patrick, my former student and present honorary nephew, shared a similar story with me.
Your funeral today was quite lovely and was just right. Nothing over the top, not too subdued, with plenty of people who either knew you or knew someone your life had touched.
I hope you don't mind that I came. I know you did not know me at all. But you knew my bfe and you knew your Uncle Patrick and they are both dear to me.
I was there in lieu of my bfe, as he is away in Canada, tending to his research, and will not return until mid-June.
I was there in support of my friend Patrick, especially after he had helped carry your small coffin out of the church and to the waiting hearse.
Such a sad sight, that small coffin.
Such a sad reminder of a life lost too soon.
Thankfully, I was also there for your dear honorary grandmother, Sara Georgialis, the mother of your mom's best friend from her college days. She is a sweet person that I know through our common friend, the peace Guy. I spotted her in the church, downcast after the service, and even went to the burial to be with her, to stand beside her and lend her my emotional and physical support.
I very much enjoyed the song your mom had requested. "I'll Fly Away" is a lovely spiritual about rising above current troubles on the hopeful wings of future. I can ceratinly understand your affinity for the song.
I think it helped everyone feel a little better, to have an emotional release, to sing the song you had so loved.
After the burial, to my surprise, I suggested to Sara that she join me for an arthouse film. She had accepted, to the surprise of both of us, and we will even meet before the film for lunch.
I hope that will lend her a sufficient emotional buffer this afternoon. I think it was more than coincidence that led me to be at your funeral and burial today, that allowed me to be a surrogate daughter for someone else's mom.
Thank you for helping me to be right where I needed to be today.

You can fly away now, oh, glory, hallelujah.
No more seizures, no more slippery tubs of bathwater, no more struggles.
Just peace, love, and understanding.

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For those who wish to help autistic children like Olivia to have a helpful, hopeful, holiday from school, please consider a donation to the Summer Therapeautic Enrichment Program of Savannah (S.T.E.P.S.). My first niece volunteered with the group for several years when she was younger and can vouch for its usefulness.
I find it quite a coincidence that the local news had shone a spotlight on S.T.E.P.S. less than two weeks before Olivia's death. Timing is important. Let's hope that others will benefit.