Green Ribbons
real kids, real stories
If you live in central Texas, you’ve seen these green ribbons. You have been affected by the flooding and loss of life and tragedy, directly or indirectly. Your heart is heavy.
People are tying green ribbons to trees in memory of the girls lost at Camp Mystic. I went to the grocery store yesterday and every single tree in the parking lot of the strip center, dozens and dozens of them, had a green ribbon. I wondered how it must feel if you were the parent of a child and you saw one of these green ribbons. Would it hurt or help?
I don’t know. I can’t imagine being one of those parents. But I wonder if the answer is both. It is a reminder of who you’ve lost. And also a tribute, honoring that life. When I go to a funeral, stories are shared, and those stories are a little like these green ribbons. They honor and pay tribute to the life that was lived. Our stories are so, so important. We hang on to them long after the body is gone. They live on.
I recently started sharing stories here once a month about kids. Stories I’ve gotten from teachers, librarians, and parents. I was supposed to share one this week. But instead, I share the green ribbon. For the girls who loved to read, and the ones who didn’t. The girls who wore glasses or had braces or freckles. The ones who peeled the crust off their bread in one long strip before eating it. It’s the stories that connect us to the lives of others. Keep sharing them. I send all my love to those who lost someone they love in the floods. Each time I see a green ribbon, I think of you.
About me: My name is Meredith Davis, and I’m an award winning writer of middle grade books, a former indie bookseller, founder of the Austin chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Find teaching resources and author visit information on my website at www.meredithldavis.com. Mother to three, Nana to one and counting, I live with my husband and a crazy doodle in Austin, Texas.
Ah, Meredith, this made me tear up a bit as I was reading--gosh, all those ribbons. My husband's parents lived in Kerrville in the late 90's and we visited there many, many times, walking along the Guadalupe River. The sights on the news now are beyond comprehension--we are praying that God will continue to bring his comfort and grace to all the families and community so deeply affected. xo