Yolanda is Still Gone

I read yesterday that Yolanda Denise King, oldest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr had died.  I frankly thought she was already gone, but then I realized that King had two daughters.  Could they both have passed at such young ages?  Was I confusing Yolanda for Bernice?  Ugh.

Actually Yolanda passed away in 2007.  Her sister Bernice is alive and well.  With the losses of everybody from Prince and David Bowie to Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Harper Lee, maybe we’ve become skittish.  Who’s next?  (Note:  Percy Sledge died on April 14, 2015.)

I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but the truth is that I can’t keep up.  Also, I am the kind of person who keeps people in my phone contacts list long after they’ve breathed their last breath. Cindy Bolbach is still on my speed dial.  It makes me happy to see her on my phone.

I also find that honoring deaths can make our own lives more meaningful.  Bear with me here.

When I hear about lives well lived, it makes me want to live a better life too. When I hear about lives that were cut short too early, it makes me want to help give their deaths meaning.  I believe God uses everything – even death.

It’s still Eastertide and resurrection manifests itself in many ways.  Yolanda is still gone.  But it’s also possible that she’s still with us if we live as God created us to live.

Image of Yolanda Denise King (1955-2007).