news-record.com

This year seems unprecedented in the number of deaths, and no one is unaffected.

In 2009, the world has lost celebrities and heroes Kay Yow, Michael Jackson, Ted Kennedy and so many others.

People have buried parents, siblings, other relatives and close friends.

I’ve buried two classmates, a cousin and most recently, my 12-year-old nephew, Andrew L. Grice III, known as Tre.

As a reasonable adult, I know that death comes. It’s a part of life. But when it comes suddenly and to someone so young, it has a way of punching you in the stomach.

About 5 a.m. Aug. 2, I got a call from my eldest brother in California saying his son in Georgia had suffered a stroke.

My first question was: How does a perfectly healthy, happy 12-year-old boy have a stroke?

That started a long week of phone updates, prayers, crying, more praying and travel.

That Thursday, I got a phone call a little before 5 a.m., saying we should get to Georgia as soon as possible because Tre had had more strokes.

After driving 2 1/2 hours to my hometown and another 5 1/2 to Atlanta, where my nephew was hospitalized, my father, my brother’s grandmother and I arrived just two hours before his parents made the difficult decision to discontinue artificial support.

It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to watch in my life. While I certainly wanted to be there for my brother and my nephew’s mom, my heart was aching. It still aches.

I love my nieces and nephews. As an auntie, my job is to make sure they are happy, whether it’s spoiling them or keeping them out of trouble with their parents.

When it comes to them, I am a fixer. But that, I couldn’t fix. There was nothing I could buy, no one I could smooth things over with. God gave him to us, and He wanted him back.

I spent the next week as a zombie, shuffling through life, numb to everything. And I didn’t care.

Since his funeral, I’ve started putting the pieces of my life back together and attempting to call or text my brother and my nephew’s mom at least once a week.

It’s been hard, but none of us are broken. We had Tre for 12 years, and with his smile, dimples and those beautiful eyes, he brought joy to at least one person everyday. So for that, we are thankful. We’re hurting, but we’re thankful.

Now, in memory of Tre, I have made the decision to live my life full of smiles, laughter and happiness.

It’s what he would have wanted.

Contact Tiffany S. Jones at 373-7157 or tiffany.jones@news-record.com