The book, “Notes Left Behind” tells the story of Elena Desserich, a beautiful five-year-old child. Her long brown hair and beautiful smile were only surpassed by her amazing spirit. Her family’s world revolved around her. I n a moment their world stopped spinning. Just before her sixth birthday, little Elena was diagnosed with brain cancer and given 135 days to live. She lived 255 days, passing away in 2007. This is no “gone but not forgotten” story, because Elena used those 255 days to do something wise beyond her years. After her death, Elena’s parents, Brooke and Keith, found hundreds of notes from Elena hidden around the house. They found the notes between CD cases, between bookshelves, in dresser drawers, in backpacks, and in a hundred other places.
Every time they found another note they said, “It just felt like a little hug from her, like she was telling us she was looking over us.” The writing skills of a six-year-old are not great and many of the notes simply said, “I love you Mom and Dad.” Often the words weren’t spelled correctly, but that didn’t matter. To her parents, the notes left behind were the greatest words ever written.
As I read this story I thought about what I would do if I were to find such notes left behind. I soon realized this story is my story. This story is your story. Someone we love did die and leave notes behind for us.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
1 John 4:11, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
These and many other “notes” tell of His great love for us.
One more thing little Elena left behind was what she called a “Kindergarten Survival Kit.” It was left for her younger sister. When you think about it that is what Jesus did for us. Jesus left the “Comforter,” the Holy Spirit (John 14:25-26) to give the words that will help us survive here while we wait for Heaven. His words are our “survival kit.”