A Mother’s Heart
Brianna was my youngest of three beautiful girls. My sweet baby was such a blessing. She was a very happy and content baby and child. As a teen and young adult, she had a very charismatic nature that drew people to her. There was a special joy about her that she shared so easily with everyone she met. Bri loved life and was not afraid of anything. She had so many friends and would do just about anything for any of them. Bri lived her life to the fullest. She had lots of adventures in her short time here. My baby and I were quite close and I was blessed with the opportunity to go on many trips and vacations with her. She could make the smallest of outings a fun and crazy adventure. We made so many memories that I will cherish forever. We could just go to Wal-Mart and have a blast. One thing I remember fondly is how much we both loved cotton candy. Wal-Mart sold small tufts of it at the registers. As we would walk into the store, we would say to each other, at the same time, “NO COTTON CANDY”. Inevitably, we would both meet back at the register with a tub, half eaten, and laugh.
Bri loved shopping; I guess she got that from me. She loved clothes, shoes, jewelry, hats, belts, just about everything. When she lived in Texas with me and her father, she would get so bored and talk me into shopping trips and money was so tight that she came up with the great idea of ‘pretend shopping’. We would go to the mall and visit the best shops and try on outrageous clothes. She would put together crazy outfits. Sometimes we would take pictures. She loved dressing me up too. We would do this for hours and never spent a cent. Oh, the fun we had. That was my Bri.
At home, I could be working in the yard and tending to my plants when my phone would ring and it would be Bri laughing and telling me all about the show she was watching (Everyone Loves Raymond). She loved al the old comedy sitcoms. This could go on for hours. That was my Bri. I could be in the kitchen and she could call me from the bedroom to see what I was doing, it didn’t take long before she would convince me to come join her and yes, bring her a glass of sweet tea and popcorn. There we would be in bed eating and laughing in the middle of the day. That was my Bri.
Things took a turn for the worse when Hurricane Ike hit Galveston in 2008. It flooded our home with salt water and black swamp mud. We had to gut our house down to the studs and slab. Bri was not a mud or construction type of girl so her longtime friend, Lauren, sent for her to come visit her in New York for a while. She called me every day so excited. She fell in love with the big city. After a month had passed, Bri was headed back to Texas. I picked her up from the Houston airport and she was beaming. She talked all the way home, two hours, nonstop. She had a solid plan for her life, to move to New York. Bri found a college she wanted to attend. Her friend already had an apartment they could share. We talked and decided she should head back towards Daphne and work as much as possible to save for her move. We got home to our small FEMA trailer pretty late. That night she wanted to sleep with me and made me hold her all night. I thought she must have been missing her mommy. Whatever the reason, I enjoyed it. Morning came and we loaded up what few things I was able to salvage from the flood. She was so happy. My Bri had a dream and a plan for her life. As we said our goodbyes, with tears in our eyes, Bri hugged me so tight, it was like she didn’t want to let go. Oh God, if I had only known that would be my last hug.
I prayed over her to have a safe trip, like I always did, I then asked her, if she were to get into a wreck on the way home and died, did she know where she would end up. My Bri smiled, looked me in the eyes and said, “yes mom, Jesus lives in my heart and I’ll be in heaven”. She threw me a big kiss and was gone.
A few days later I got a call from her sister, Shantell. Bri did not show up to babysit for her nephews. That was not like her, I knew something terrible had happened. Within minutes, her father and I were on the road making the six hour trip back to Daphne. Two days later, we found my sweet baby in a deep drainage ditch. She had been molested and killed. My world changed forever in that moment. I know my heart will always ache. To say I miss her is such an understatement. I hold on so tight to those last words she said to me, “I know Jesus in my heart and I will be in heaven.” As a mother and a Christian, no other words could have meant more. Our Lord and Savior carried her home that late rainy night. Bri is now more beautiful and happier than she’s ever been. Oh, how I thank God for that. As hard as it is to live without her each day, I take comfort in knowing that we will be spending eternity together. Our Pastor has said many times, “Heaven is real, hell is hot, and time is short”. I beg everyone who reads this to ask yourself, if your time is up on this earth, where will you be? I will be with my Savior, and my Bri, in Heaven.
In His Love,
Sylinda Parish
