Ava's Rule

There's a lot of stuff on the internet that is boring, stupid and a waste of time. I try to skip over that stuff. There's also a lot of stuff that's beautiful, interesting and inspiring. I like to bookmark that and return many times. Then there are things that make it from the internet into your heart and shift your life just a little bit. Or even a lot.

Sheye Rosemeyer's story is one of those things. Through a few very simple and normal seeming circumstances her little girl let herself into the unlocked family car as it sat in the driveway of their home in Queensland on a hot day, with each adult believing she was with the other. She was unable to find her way out. By the time she was discovered missing and found in the car she needed to be rushed to hospital. She died 2 days later. She was 3 and a half.

I can only begin to imagine the complicated grief that follows something like that. My heart breaks for her family and all others who experience a loss so tragic. And yet there's a part of me that cheers for them. For they way the have not only continued to get up in the morning (and I'm sure there have been many days when that was just the first of many battles in the day) but the Rosemeyer family have also campaigned for greater awareness and understanding about being vigilant with your child's safety. Their special focus is, natur

ally, car safety. But they are strong advocates for pool safety and seatbelt safety (thanks to some incredible people Australia is moving forward with new and better legislation for children in moving cars. Read about it here).

Why am I sharing this? Because all life is precious and those who are little have a right to be protected by those of us who can protect them. I don't believe we should live in fear of the world - it has been given to us to enjoy. But we should live with a certain amount of caution in areas that have been proven dangerous so that we can live longer and enjoy the world for longer.

I encourage you to talk to your children about this. Share it with your friends who have children that don't hang about the internet. Read Sheye's blog. You will be moved by her courage, honesty and spirit. And that's all without having mentioned she's a very talented photographer!