Say Her Name

Children come into this world and we give them a name to be called as they grow from baby to toddler, child to teen, etc. I named my youngest daughter Ava,  and I loved to say her name. It was carefully chosen to last her a lifetime, but her lifetime stopped just short of being a teenager. Her name is now etched in granite in a cemetery.

So many stories that were supposed to start with her name, “Ava does”, “Ava says”, “Ava is” will never happen. The stories are passed tense now, “Ava liked”, “Ava was”, “Ava wanted” and there aren’t enough of them. The dreams parents envision for their children are supposed to go way beyond 11 years.

What do we do now, her story ended too soon. We crave to say her name, we need to tell her stories and we long to sit back and watch her life unfold. There was so much life left to live, but now her name is silent like someone turned off the radio in the middle of our favorite song…

“The rule of songwriting: say what you want to say, say it again, say it a different way, then say it again.” – Hunter Hayes

Say her name like a cool breeze on a hot day.

Say her name like the sweet smell of a summer rose.

A-a-a-vaa... A-a-a-vaa... A-a-a-vaa

Say her name!

Say her name with a smile and a hug.

Say her name without fear or regret.

Say her name!

Sa-a-ay her name... Sa-a-ay her name...Sa-a-aaay her naaaame.....