What is Twelve?

 

On Monday, in the middle of the night, a twelve year old girl in our community died suddenly and unexpectedly.

Perhaps you can remember yourself at twelve. Or maybe you have children or grandchildren whose childhood years you can remember clearly.

What is twelve? 

The end of elementary school and the almost the beginning of being a teenager. It is a time of so much change. Parents often see strengths emerge that will form major pillars of their children’s adult selves. All the while, remnants of childhood co-exist with burgeoning plans for the future: stuffed animals on a bed or cuddly animal-headed pajamas.

Twelve is what has been and what will be and a million other contradictions. 

Today a child will never realize her dreams and plans. Her mother will never see the unfolding and fluttering wings of young adulthood. Will never see her soar.

The story of how she died is all over social media and the news, most likely. You can find it pretty easily if you want to know more. I’m not going to write about it here today. What I will share is that her mother has established a Go Fund Me account in order to pay for her funeral. She needs our community’s help.

Go Fund Me : Funeral Expenses for Josseline 

It’s simple. A mother is grieving and reaches out to her neighbors for support. All the other online conversations about this grievous loss are noise. If you can help, help. If you can’t, say a prayer or think good thoughts or do something to bring some good into this world.

A world without Josseline, twelve years old and at the beginning of everything.