It’s been six days. Yet it still seems unreal. Impossible. Unimaginable. But it is the reality for a Kansas City area family. On July 31, a beautiful soul was taken from this earth and leaves behind three children. Her name was Amy. She had an infectious laugh and magnetic personality. At her memorial service yesterday, loved ones told tales of her laughing so hard she lost her breath, only to regain it and laugh some more. They told of her making friends with strangers wherever she went and how she was chronically late because of her unplanned chats with her newfound friends.

And she was always, always running out of gas. We all laughed hearing stories of her broken down on I435 in Kansas City, waiting patiently for someone to help. 

Someone always did. Because it was Amy. And everyone loved her. 

Especially her three children, who wrote love letters to their mom that were read at yesterday’s service. And her sister Stacy and mother Lynda, with whom Amy was extremely close and spoke to daily. It was Stacy who was on the phone with Amy as she pulled into her driveway, unknowingly about to take her last few breaths. It was Stacy who heard Amy’s last known words: “I’ll call you back.” And it is Stacy and their mother Lynda who have taken on the emotional and financial toll of assuming custody of Amy’s three children. 

On that fated Monday afternoon, Amy walked into her home, a home she shared with her husband and children. She had recently filed for divorce. Her husband was unstable. She knew it. She knew it was time to break away. But she could never have imagined that he’d take her life, then his own, and leave their children without parents. 

It’s been six days. Six days since Amy’s kids have held their mom’s hand or snuggled with her on the couch. Six days since Stacy last heard those words “I’ll call you back.” Six days since Lynda last heard her daughter’s infectious laughter. Six days since Amy sat with neighbors, watching their children play until dark as they did all summer long. Six days since a stranger has made a new friend when crossing Amy’s path.

It seems unreal, but it’s not. We sat at her memorial yesterday and felt our breath taken away when her beautiful children walked in. Two sons and one daughter who will not have their mom to walk them to their classrooms on the first day of school. Two sons and one daughter who will not see their mom on the sidelines at their football games and who will not dance with her at their weddings. But thankfully Amy’s love for those kids was so fierce that it will last a lifetime. They’ll miss her every day of their lives, but they’ll feel her love every day too. Because if there’s one thing you could say about Amy Mabion, it’s that she was a good mom. And sometimes, when you don’t know long you have on this earth, that’s all you can be.

Stacy and Lynda have taken on a tremendous financial and emotional responsibility as they care for the Mabion children. If you’d like to donate to their GoFundMe page and assist them in any way you can, please do so here. Our community thanks you for your support and prayers.