On October 26th, we walked for our beloved Kathy at the Out of the Darkness Community Walk …. a walk for hope, remembrance, and healing. This year, the local walk took place at Florida Atlantic University, the campus where Kathy spent so many days, and where they recently honored her by granting an Associate Degree for her time there.
Before the ceremony began for the walk, we picked up our white beaded necklaces, each strand representing the heartbreaking loss of a child. As we moved past the necklace table, we noticed a young girl standing alone at a nearby table. She looked at us with a gentle sadness and asked if we would like to make a sign. Boxes of markers and white poster boards were laid out in front of her, but the weight of grief made us hesitate. We thanked her and started to walk away, yet something tugged at me and said ...What would Kathy do?
Kathy would have stayed. Not only would she have made a sign, but she would have stayed to keep the girl company, sharing a smile and kind words. So we turned back. When we told the young girl we would love to make a sign, her face softened and she showed us the sign she had made for a classmate she lost to suicide only a month ago. Her voice trembled as she spoke of her friend. In those moments, we felt an unspoken connection ... a shared understanding of love and loss that bound us all. Our sign, covered with Kathy’s name and messages of love felt like a small piece of her spirit brought to life in the experience.
The walk was 2.4 miles around the campus, each step stirring memories of Kathy. Passing by the dorm building was a reminder of where she had once lived. By the stadium, we remembered sitting on the bleachers with her. Then there was a flash of a memory from the nature walk she once took us on as we walked near the wooded entrance. Every sight seemed to call Kathy's name, every step felt like it should have been shared with her. All I wanted was for her to be walking next to us, not us walking in her memory.
