EMMA GRACE

Whispers From Heaven
Yesterday was a typical Monday for me. I picked Gracie up from daycare and she was in her usual Monday afternoon mood – the one I call full of spit and vinegar. I had forgotten her after-school snack and sippy cup of water, which was doing little to enhance her attitude. I needed to stop by the grocery store to pick up some jalapeños for our chili for dinner. As we pulled into the grocery store parking lot, the heavens let loose. It was one of those hard fast summer rains that the south is famous for. “Great”, I mumbled to myself. How was I going to get Gracie into the store without soaking her? Just one more thing added to my Monday – I could feel the beginnings of a migraine creeping up my neck. What were my options? Get the umbrella out and try and manage it and her – cover her up with her blankie and then deal with it and her – forget about the jalapeños – who needs flavor in their chili. Just then, I heard something whispering in my soul. “Daphne, it’s only a little cleansing rain. Why protect Gracie from it – let her enjoy it.” I listened. I got Gracie out of her car seat and put her down in the parking lot. We walked into the store, rain soaking both of us. We held hands and stomped in water puddles and Gracie giggled, the rain washing away her bad mood. It was a little after four in the afternoon. We went on in the store and of course, Gracie pitched a multitude of fits, but I was still glad we’d had our little dance in the rain. It wasn’t until late last night that I learned that about the time Gracie and I were playing in the rain, Emma Grace Hampton was leaving this world, flying home to Heaven. Coincidence? Perhaps. Or maybe just maybe that little whisper of a voice I heard was one of Emma Grace’s first acts as an angel.

Meeting A Spirit-filled Angel
I met Emma Grace on Easter Sunday of 2004. Steve, Gracie, & I were visiting my sister’s family. Gracie was not quite three months old and I was still in that early stage of motherhood where I was afraid of everything – afraid of SIDS, afraid of driving with her, afraid that she wasn’t getting enough to eat, afraid that she wasn’t pooping enough or that she was pooping too much. On Sunday afternoon, my brother-in-law’s family was coming over for a buffet brunch. About 11:00 that morning, my sister’s sister-in-law called and asked if they could bring another family with them. My sister’s eight-year-old niece has a type of leukemia and is a patient at St. Jude’s in Memphis. The family that her mother wanted to bring also had a child with cancer receiving treatment at St. Jude’s. Emma Grace was three years old and had a type of cancer called neuroblastoma, a cancer that, until that day, I had never heard of. (I’ve since learned that it is a horrible disease that robs too many families of their beloved children). My sister immediately said that anyone was welcome in her home. So, we prepared for the arrival of Emma Grace and her family. We knew that Emma Grace was a very sick little girl, that her cancer was relentless, that her family was reaching the end of treatment options and that her chances of long-term survival were not great. I was expecting a frail, sickly child, one who would spend most of the afternoon lying on the couch. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bigger misconception about anyone.

Emma Grace burst into my sister’s kitchen that afternoon, dressed like a princess for Easter. Her dark curls bobbed as she ran and her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. She changed from her princess dress to clothes more practical for an Easter Egg Hunt and she joined the other kids darting through the yard looking for plastic eggs. She would stumble a little each time she bent to pick up an egg; her balance was off because she carried a five pound St. Jude backpack holding her medicines and fluids. But, nothing deterred her. She laughed and squealed with delight. I wish I could have bottled those childish giggles from all the little ones as they ran through the yard… It was a remarkable day. Talking to her parents, Barney and Trish, was uplifting. They were full of hope that the treatments options they were pursuing would be Emma Grace’s cure. Yet, they were fully aware of the odds stacked against them. They were living each day to the fullest with their baby girl, trying to fill her life with joy during difficult times, trying to let her be what she most wanted to be: a happy little girl.

Emma Grace and her family gave me something invaluable that day: a glimpse into the life of a family struggling every day for the life of their child. My new mommy worries seemed so much less overwhelming after meeting them. They showed me joy in the midst of sorrow, hope in the middle of a trial that I can’t imagine, and a faith that gave them peace in the middle of a storm of unimaginable proportions. That faith, that God holds them all in the palm of His hand, gave them the strength to face their darkest days.

Fly high, sweet Emma Grace. Trish, Barney, and Bubba Eli: my prayers are with you and please know that your sweet angel touched all those who were blessed to meet her.