Heaven's Little Saint

I was very blessed to be able to attend Chloe's funeral today. It was at St. James, not very far from my house. I initially hadn't planned to go, but felt God wanted me to. I also went for my friend Linda, who was a close friend of the Schmidt family. Linda flew out to Virginia this morning to attend a conference, and was heartbroken to miss Chloe's funeral. I sat with Kim, Linda's daughter, and was glad to be with someone I knew.

In honor of Chloe's love of purple and pink (her favorite colors), Fr. Charles and other presiders of the funeral mass wore purple vestments. Her casket was white, with pink trim, and all the flowers were in every shade of purple and pink. I learned today that Chloe also had a love affair with Hello Kitty, and always thought of others before her own pain and suffering.

For example, last winter, a Valentine Card drive was started for her by the Customer Care division at Continental Airlines. Eventually, over 2,000 valentine cards were collected, enough for Chloe and all the kids in the cancer unit on the 9th floor of Texas Children's Hospital.

After communion, several people got up to speak. The first was a representative from Continental. He said several beautiful things about Chloe, this remark being the most profound:

"Death is merely the experience of living through the memories of others."

How true that is.

The second person to speak was Chloe's godfather, Billy. He could not hold back his tears, and eventually one of the deacons came to the ambo and embraced him. By now, my own tears were coming in waves; it was so hard to stop crying. Cloe's godmother, Teresa came to the ambo and finished what Billy started. I was still crying so I regretfully cannot really remember what they said.

Lastly, a friend of the family spoke. She said:

"To survive means to live beyond... that is what Chloe did."

"Chloe was a young old soul, her connection to Jesus was such that even adults were astonished at her understanding. She bore fruit, even while in pain, and we will not know the bounty of that harvest until we ourselves are in heaven. Her work is not finished, it is just begun."

The last thing she talked about was the story behind Chloe's name. When Chloe's mother Sam and her grandma Deb chose her name, they knew they wanted it to mean something. The name "Chloe" is actually found in the bible, in Corinthians, 1: 10-11. The actual verse has no real meaning...but, wouldn't you know it...Chloe's birthday is January 10, 2001. Amazing.

After the funeral mass, I drove to Calvary Cemetery, just a couple of miles from the church. Up until now, the sky was gray and dreary looking, but then...the sun came out, and it was warm, but not hot...the dampness of the day seemed to disappear. I am sure it was not a coincidence, it was Chloe's doing. Her sister and cousin released butterflies after the graveside service...Chloe also loved butterflies; on the front of the programs at the church, there was a picture of a pink butterfly pasted to the top of a rainbow. All of the butterflies flew away, but one remained on Chloe's casket...even as I walked back to my car, I looked, and it was still there. I know that was not a coincidence either.

I exchanged just a few words with Billy (Chloe's godfather) afterwards, and Cloe's grandmother Deb. It was so moving to see how their love for Chloe carried them through this day...difficult as it was, yet full of gladness that their angel was suffering no more, knowing that heaven had gained a new saint.

There is no doubt Chloe will not be forgotten, and her memory cherished in the hearts of all who knew her. She really was a special little girl.