In a World that is at times so terribly cruel, it's good to know that there are some people who find ways of finding inspiration and creativity and inspiration does not require university degrees, or wealth, or influence or even a great deal of maturity. There are times when a nine-year-old knows where to go for a cup of inspiration, and I want to share that cup with you right now.
Her name is Jayla and she is in many ways like every nine-year-old girl anywhere in the world. Every little girl dreams about her wedding day, complete with visions of a big beautiful white dress and, of course, the perfect man. But when you're nine years old, and you are told that you have to wait till you're at least eighteen to get married, well that can seem like a very long time. Think about the reference point. You are nine. You have only lived for nine years and you are being told you need to wait until you turn eighteen. It feels like a lifetime of waiting because your lifetime so far has been defined by the number nine. And so the idea of waiting nine more years feels interminably long, especially if you have also been told that you don't have nine more years.
Jayla was recently told that her battle with Leukemia is coming to an end, and she doesn't have nine more years. She may not even have nine more weeks. But you know what she now has. She has a Tiara. A beautiful white Tiara on top of her very pretty little girl's head. And she is wearing a beautiful dress, the kind that brides wear and she has a handsome little boy named Jose standing beside her. He is a fellow patient in the same hospital where Jayla has been fighting cancer while dreaming of being a bride and while there is bad news for Jayla and her family, there is the good news of a wish that has come true for her. A wedding of sorts, not a legal wedding, but a wedding celebration was put together just a few days ago. And so the tiara and the dress were part of that. Her friend Jose played the role of the groom. And there was a real pastor and real joy in the real catering hall that was used for this great event.
Her mom Lisa, said "We didn't expect to do this when she was nine. But she taught us all how to love each other and be strong for each other." Like a lot of brides, Jayla organized everything, including the colors and the menu and the cake and the song for the father daughter dance, "It's your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Jayla is already on morphine but her mom says that Jayla was shimmering and you can see that in this wedding photo that I am looking at which I will happily send you. Folks, I cannot bring back the numbers in your stock portfolios. I cannot vacuum political correctness or hypocrisy or corruption from the bowels of our government, our courts, and our education system. But I can offer you this story of Jayla, the nine year old who teaches us more about life in her final days of this life, than all thousands of professional windbags lining up around several blocks to be on this show. I need to tell them to wait because time is precious. The time that you and I have to spend on this earth is very precious. Jayla reminds us of that. She reminds us that what really matters in life, is love and family and friendship. In the end it's only a song worth dancing to.
Here's to Jayla Cooper and her husband Jose Griggs and to the Cooper and the Griggs families and to all the other families who today are prospering, not through the acquisition of money, but through the understanding that money and things can never replace the nine-year-old girl wearing a beautiful white tiara and a smile.
Dying Girl's Last Wish - A Wedding
