Wings On Avonlea

Avonlea Laurel Ellen Wilmer,11, of Lynchburg, Virginia, died Thursday, December 17, 2015, of undiagnosed heart problems. She just went to sleep and never woke up. She was an only child.

It’s sad the silence of a little girl

who never woke with the evening tide,

whose dreams dissolved in the curve of each curl

like an echo fading, faded, and died.

Like light on glass, she was brilliant and bright,

a lovely daughter of smiles and spirit,

whose grace was anchored in the purest light

so sweet to see and sweeter to hear it.

Her laughter was a song, a rainfall keep

to bless the soul like a stream of water.

When walls close round and words are wont to weep,

she shall bless you, this beloved daughter.

It’s sad the silence of the never born,

the daughters and sons that we’ll never see;

and sad was the breath of that fateful morn

that uplifted the wings on Avonlea.

____________________________________________________

Obituary:

Avonlea Laurel Ellen Wilmer , 11, of Lynchburg died Thursday, December 17, 2015.

Born Saturday, April 03, 2004 in Lynchburg, she was the daughter of Adam Sean Wilmer and Carrie Ellen Lewis Wilmer.

In addition to parents, Avonlea is survived by her grandparents, Lee (Poppie) and Pamela (Nannie) Lewis, of Lynchburg, Katherine and Clifford Siegrist, of Lynchburg, and Vincent and Dolores Wilmer, of Crouse, NC, four aunts and uncles, Cindy and Robert Harding, of Forest, Lee and Sunshine Lewis, of Lynchburg, Eric and Wendy Wilmer, of Appomattox, and Amy Wilmer and Mike Mayo, of Lynchburg, eight nieces and nephews, Brooke Harding, Trey Harding, Malory Harding, Killian Lewis, Solomon Lewis, Jasper Lewis, Andrew Alvarenga, and Sarah Mayo, and many friends.

Matthew 5:8

"Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God."

Avonlea was a gift, blessing, and Angel to anyone that she had contact. She knew no strangers and always looked to find how she could help anyone or any animal without hesitation. She gave the gift of love with every ounce of her soul and never expected anything in return. Her purity of heart was ever present with her contagious smile, happiness and brightness in her eyes. She brought life to everything in her path and didn’t recognize the boundaries that prevented others from being kind to each other all the time. She saw past differences and only saw the beauty in things. She infused creativity without pause in each of her ideas. She simply saw past ordinary thoughts and the ordinary became extraordinary. A soul of positivity and grace that was so wise beyond her years. Avonlea taught us how a simple smile can lift the soul of others when witnessing one from a pure innocence of heart. A constant passion of hers was to give rather than receive which was ever more present this time of year. She defended things she believed in without reservation and would always be there for others. Family and friends were dearest to her heart and she shared many adventures with both. Her loves were school, TV, sleepovers, animals, reading, science, dancing, singing, swimming, art, acting, trips to the beach, Disney, and most of all " family. Animals held a special place for her and she made sure to surround herself with them and show them her love.

How do you put into words when you witness or describe the first time you saw a rainbow, sunset, sunrise, a snowflake, or any transient moment that left you speechless? Avonlea’s life was like viewing one of these moments but for 11 years and still not knowing how to describe fully but to say, "beautiful."

Author's Note

Reviews

[Eilis]

It’s difficult to confront these realities. It’s difficult to come to grips with who stays to live out a long life and who is taken early.

Your poem is a poignant tribute to a girl who seemed to touch the lives of all the people she met. Children, in their innocence and free spiritedness, do seem as angels on earth. They bring so much color and clarity with their as-of-yet untainted views of the world. Your poem offers a glimpse into that child spirit and honors her.

Lovely, touching work, Linda. May her family find the peace they need.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you. The heartbreaking part about this is that there was no indication that anything was wrong whatsoever. She lay down to take a nap before dinner; and when her mother went to wake her up, she was unresponsive. She had died in her sleep. The autopsy showed an undiagnosed heart problem. I can't imagine how her mother must have felt. I would have died.