03.18.23 | 10AM | By Sadina Renfrow (Riley’s Auntie)
Words by Sadina Renfrow, Riley’s Auntie, Kial’s sister, and GoFundMe Organizer
Yesterday the James family welcomed Riley back home. Though not in the form we would have ever imagined, he is home sweet home.
It has been nearly two weeks since Riley’s death and time has ceased to exist in the way we are so often accustomed to. When the heart breaks wide-open, so does the tempo in which we live. The unsteady rhythm of the day melds into the darkness of night, while the sun continues to rise each morning, serving as a taunting reminder of death’s finality and the agonizing separation.
So we cling to promises made that we will be reunited with our loved ones again; that death is not final, and that the soul is eternal. We seek signs of comfort and we are timid to re-enter the world without our loved one existing in the way we always knew. We slowly reemerge into a world that looks vastly different in our perspective, but very much the same in the everyday happenings. The world continues to spin and this fact catches our breaths, but so do the outpourings of love and support. An offer of a favorite childhood meal to be cooked and delivered, an invitation to attend a small dinner in a safe and warm place for those that haven’t yet left the house, a hug that lingers into the heartfelt and seen, a text with words that hit straight to the soul and, of course, the beyond-generous donations made to lift a family so that there is one less burden to carry.
Thank you for seeing Riley, for seeing our brokenness, for seeing what we hope to create as a legacy so that his inexplicably all-too-brief life may not be in vain. Thank you to every one of you who has come alongside us and given your heart, time, money, words, hugs, thoughts, and prayers. A visual of reaching into the pockets, turned inside-out, empty and hanging, along with a gentle hand placed on our hearts as soothing balm are what I envision, and it is a humbling and beautiful thing. It is humanity at its best and we are so incredibly grateful that we are experiencing this light alongside the dark. It reminds us that the light exists, that the dawn will someday break with less sting, and that Riley’s life will continue on.
If you have yet to check out the incredible website lovingly created by Kial, please go to RileyCJames.com. We will continue to update and share, but another day couldn’t pass without our gratitude being expressed to you all. Thank you, with our whole hearts.
With Love,
Sadina Renfrow, Riley’s Auntie
On behalf of the James Family