Merci: One Year – August 2014
[If you came directly to this post, please read here first for a little background on the project]
In the summer of 2013, for my first essay involving Merci, Georgia, and Amelia, I attended Amelia’s 3rd birthday party. It was the first one without Brent, only a couple of months after his death. I visited them again in the Spring of 2014 for an update, and in August I was invited to Amelia’s 4th birthday party to spend some time catching up with this sweet family again.
{Click the first image to open slideshow}
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- Last year Amelia’s party was everything Dora, this time it was a rainbow covered celebration.
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- This totally random moment with Amelia and Merci’s father just made my whole day.
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- While photographing the other kids enjoying the pool and playing outside, I realized I hadn’t seen Amelia for a while, so I went inside to ask Merci about her. She pointed to her (Merci’s) bedroom and said she was in there alone playing with her birthday toys, but she didn’t think Amelia would mind if I joined her.
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- Merci came in a little later to ask Amelia if she was ready for her gift from her daddy.
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- She told her where to look.
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- Amelia didn’t say anything the whole time she was opening the box or as Merci put the bracelet on her, but as soon as it was on she wanted to go back outside.
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- Once we were outside, she just stood there looking around at all the other kids playing in different parts of the yard. I asked her if I could get a better photo of her gift, and she took it off and held it in her hand. Immediately after this shot, she asked me if I would hold it and she ran into the yard to play.
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- I didn’t have a lot of time to chat with Merci on this visit, as she was busy with being the hostess and such. But since the party she has been in touch to let me know that she is no longer dating the man mentioned in her last post. I met him for the first time at the party and all seemed well that day. She said simply, “It just was not a perfect fit for all 3 of us.”
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- Although choosing to end a relationship you had so much hope for is difficult, she and these girls have known and survived much deeper pain and loss. And there is a man out there who will be the right fit for all three of them, and he will be so glad she was discerning in this case.
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- Sherbet was partying in his own way.
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- Miss Amelia autographed the porch for me.
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- Another year of birthdays without Brent, but when you look in these two faces, you see he is still right here.