Jan. 3, 2004 – Oct. 10, 2011

On Oct. 10, 2011, Kealy Alexa Carlson was on her way to ballet class when she died in an automobile accident. She was seven years old.

Those of us who knew and cherished Kealy discovered a unique personality embedded in an otherwise typical little girl.

Typically, Kealy demonstrated only a grudging tolerance for fruit and an outright suspicion of the entire vegetable family. However she compensated for this by having the heart of a true baker who was always eager to share a sprinkle-ladened delicacy with her guests.

Uniquely, Kealy was a hugger, a prankster, a storyteller, a rainbow painter, a lover of maraschino cherries. She found the world to be a place of wonder and she instinctively knew how to share its miracles. Whether she was playing hopscotch, blowing bubbles, hanging from tree branches, splashing in the garden hose, or tossing snowballs, we would see her wave to us, we would hear her irresistible giggle – her special gift – and we would be drawn into her dance.

The officiating minister at her memorial observed that Kealy loved all people equally. The hundreds of people who attended the service gave testimony to that fact, filing past the diminutive white coffin over which a blanket of pink sweetheart roses had been draped. A photo of a brown-haired, browneyed, beaming Kealy was placed nearby.

Kealy had a simple faith. She believed that Jesus came into this world to show us that He loves us and that He would some day take us home to Heaven. Kealy’s short life reminds us of this fundamental truth. We know that she is waiting for us to join her, and that God is keeping her busy as she waits.

On second thought, maybe it is Kealy who is keeping God busy!

–Diana Schoenherr