Katie

Like many other people who have heard of Katie McCarron, I have been thinking about her and her family often over the past few weeks. Katie was a little autistic girl, whose mother suffocated her with a plastic bag. The jury has just announced their verdict that the murderous mother is guilty. Katie's dad and grandparents and others in her family have spoken of their beloved child with dignity and pride. I hope that they will receive a small measure of comfort from the outcome of this trial.

In my previous post I wrote of the Dr Suess book I read to my own autistic son. It contains the lines, 'A wasn't just isn't. He just isn't present. But you...You ARE YOU! And, now isn't that pleasant!'

I didn't write it before, but it just made me think of Katie. She wasn't 'a wasn't.' She existed and it was 'pleasant' for all who knew her, though it's oh so hard to deal with the cruel and terrible lose. She was lovely and loved. SHE WAS SHE!

She will always be, because there are people all around the world, who were so moved by her loss, so touched by the words her grandfather shared, and who will often look at their own children and hug them that bit tighter to remind them of how precious they are. Katie will be remembered for a long time to come.