Annaleigh's Place

God has given us a beautiful paid for home ………

The four bedrooms, and living room upstairs is where Redonia and Annaleigh chose to live…

This really worked out well when it came to 24/7 hugs and giggles…..

Doni would bring Annaleigh down every morning singing the little special song……

You will have to wait to hear about the little song…..

Then Annaleigh learned to navigate the stairs and she came down by herself every morning saying…..

Pop pop in her soft high pitch voice..

Or if she thought it wouldn/’t make Poppy upset, she would say….

WaWa for Lolly…..

It has been a few mornings now since she climbed down…..

So I climbed up……

Paused and looked out the big windows across the street I saw the little ring of flowers from the funeral we placed around Annaliegh’s point of departure…..

There in the corner is all the toys stuff from the funeral yesterday…..

I will ring the door bell before I go down….

And walked down the hallway past living room and bath, then three bedrooms ……

I opened the door to Annaleigh’s place…..

It is way to quiet in here…….

Sitting here in the rocker her mother had made for the room, I glance around and remember…..

Brown, hand sponge glazed walls that Redonia and I  painted…..

Bishop was not so sure about what was happening all those months ago and he circled the room that day…..

Bishop circled the room, made a funny sound, then hiked his leg on our paint bucket and roller…..

I think we understood his statement…….

Brown, sponge glazed, love glazed walls…….

$6000+ little bedroom set…..

Mahogany bed, chest, dresser/change table, custom rocker, side tables…..

All laboriously chosen and paid for by her single mom’s sacrifice of love……

I remember the day I was at Target and saw the green and beige 70’s style shag carpet rug and sent the pic to Doni and she insisted I buy and it turned out to be exactly what she wanted for the room……

This same rug was my bed for so many nights while I prayed and fasted for both baby and mother……

It feels heavenly to my toes and feet right now…..

Heavenly in an Annaleigh kind of heavenly way…..

Hanging over the bed is the ultrasound pics, framed and bowed by the young mother who loved Annaleigh so much….

Hair bows clipped on those little ribbon thingies that hang on a big brown heart…..

Head bands banded onto everything…….

The one on my heart is kinda tight right now….

This morning the baby monitor is unemployed…….

Stuffed animals and toys arranged magazine style all over everything……

Annaliegh never kept things so beautiful…….

Diaper genie with no diapers to make disappear……

A stack of Little Golden books that were Doni’s 25 years ago……

Custom draperies and bed set make by a friend…..

The closet is lined with little dresses and beneath that shelves of little girl stuff that sure needs a little girl today…….

An unopened box of Huggies #3……

A single little yellow plastic ball lays forgotten or lost in the corner of the wall and chest …….

Two build a bear boxes…..

1 – 2 – 3 Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags…..

On the change table I can see her little yellow Easter basket with opened little plastic eggs…….

Also, a big basket of baby junk, powders, lotions and other junk stuff that babies always have…..

And as I pause to reflect I look up at the chandelier Doni had to have…..

Glass beads with other little glass dingle bobby things with three little tear drop light bulbs….

Doni, when you read this,……

You made her room magazine perfect……

Noise would be nice this morning but so is the peace that permeates the room…..

I know you have not come back in here yet, but…..

I checked it all out and everything is OK…..

OK with the baby’s room…..

OK with the baby’s stuff……..

Her chair sure feels good……..

I make you a promise…….

When you get ready to come in here, Dad will come with you…….

And since I have already made sure everything is OK and insured the rocker still rocks…..

I will rock you in Annaleigh’s little brown rocker……

And soon you will realize His peace is beyond understanding….

Mom’s and Dad’s love is unrestricted…..

And your sweet Annaleigh will live forever in your heart…….

In all of our hearts……

Annaleigh’s Place

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