One more day, to live.

I am trying to recollect all the things we did with Hannah the day before she went to be with the Lord. It was a Tuesday and both of us were off from work. Since we were both off from work, we decided to visit some one, as we usually do. The first person to come to our mind was our Pastor since he was in the process of buying a new home. We called him up and sure enough his offer for the new home was accepted, and he was going to see the house that day. We told him we would be there too, to see his new home. So, off we departed as a family, to visit the Pastor and our other friends living in that area.

I do not remember anything about the hour long journey. She usually plays her CD and listens to it with her head phones, so I am assuming she did the same. She was very excited to go since our Pastor's son is her best friend and she knew she could play when parents tour the house. I remember her running ahead of me as we got out and then she was LOST. She was lost in her own world of fun with Anderson[9], her best friend and his younger brother Jaeden[2.5]. I had to warn them many times to slow down, lest they get hurt and to be quiet since the Realtor was present there discussing several things with the men. Once or twice I held Hannah tight as I usually do, when she escalates into a hyper state, and warned her to calm down. She would calm down for a moment and then go WILD again running and going in circles on the hardwood floor.

When it was time to leave, the kids were not done yet. As the parents spend time talking outside the house they continued to have fun. I asked Hannah to stand in the shade as she got out into the the drive way, because Hannah gets bad sun burn. In retrospective vision, I was protecting her even that last day from something so minor. Could I have even imagined what was to come the next day?

Then it was lunch time and refusing Laly aunty's invitation for a sandwich dinner [ sincerely we did not want to burden her with an un notified visit ], we headed to the Chinese place. After lunch, I asked to be dropped at Laly aunty's place to nurse the baby when the rest of the family headed to see the construction work of the new home we had booked.[ This was very close to Pastor's new home ] Hannah was quite upset with this decision. As I got out the car, she asked permission to get out with me. I told her she was to go with the rest of the family and then later join me here. She started to get upset and cried "But its not fair, Juju gets to go with you". The reason why I did not want her to go with me was because she would get so uncontrollable once with her friends. We saw Pastor Alex's car in the drive way and knew Anderson and Jaeden were there. So once I go to nurse the baby, Hannah would be by herself with her friends and knowing her hyper excited nature once around her friends, I couldn't let her go with me.

Later my husband told me, she was whining in the car and complained that she did not want to see the construction at Millbrook. As soon as my husband parked his car at Millbrook, Hannah was the first one to jump out so excited to study the construction. She had forgotten all about her melancholy. Later they went to see a model home and Hannah told her grandmother pointing to a particular room, " When we move, I want this room".

In less than an hour they joined me and then Hannah had the blast of her day with Anderson, Jaeden and Asha. They were all upstairs playing and having fun. When we were getting ready to leave, Hannah ran downstairs and asked me " Amma, can I go to the park with Asha?" I told her we were leaving now and that we were going to her friend Tanya's house. She was so excited to hear the name 'Tanya'. Tanya was another friend from church Hannah was very fond of. On the way to Tanya's home Hannah must have asked at least 5 times, " Appa, are we going to Tanya's house?" Later at Tanya's house, Hannah and Tanya were bouncing on their bed. Since it was their new home, and it was Hannah's first time there, Tanya was taking Hannah around and giving her a tour of the house. Just as we were about to pull out from Tanya's drive way, Hannah screamed, "Appa, roll the window down, roll the window down." My husband, when talking to someone has a bad ear for Hannah. He was busy talking to Tanya's Dad. I told him to roll down the window and Hannah screamed out to Tanya " Tanya, Asha said to say Hi to you."

The sun was setting and Hannah had finished all her work. She had conveyed even her last message and had nothing more to do.... She could now rest... She had played all day like there was no tomorrow, and there was no tomorrow for her........

Back home, at bed time, her father put her to bed. There was always a cuddling time after prayer. That night she told him the story of ' The Little Red Riding Hood'. I walked in during the story and gave her my hugs and kisses. Later her father said goodnight and walked away. He never knew that would be the last night he would tuck her in.... That night was her last night.... The next day she would go to a city where there are no nights or darkness. ...And God himself is the light of that city. A city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God......