Allison the Artist

Allison was a six-year-old artist who loved to cover her walls with her artwork.  It is so hard to read about what seems like the potential of a long a fruitful life of a kind and generous soul.  Yet, here we are making a memorial quilt and trying to understand how a beautiful life can be cut short.

Allison loved to be with her sister and parents.  She loved the role of big sister and her ability to teach her little sister all she knew.  She loved to be in the garden with mother.  She loved to give to others in random acts of kindness.  It seems so wrong to think that her family will no longer be able to enjoy these moments with her.

Yet, we must try to find some way to seek peace in the tragedy.  The pastor who gave the eulogy at Allison's funeral summed up the lesson we can all learn from Allison's short life:  "Live your life the way she lived hers," he said. "Be funny. Be goofy. Be silly. Greet each day with fun and a sense of adventure. And, whenever possible, share your Goldfish with a stranger."