I hope you have your tissues handy because this one’s a doozy!
Young children should never have to mourn the loss of their parents. Sadly, it is too often a fact of life as it was with Raelynn Nast. The 6-year-old Greenwood, Arkansas girl recently lost her father, Davey, to colon cancer. He was only 41-years-old.
This loss was particularly hard on Raelynn. Her father’s funeral was held last month, but the story of what happened there has just recently gone viral.
Raelynn decided to sit outside the funeral and greet mourners as they entered. While she was outside with her cousins, little Raelynn spotted something that can turn even the heaviest frowns upside down. A Labrador named Blue was jogging nearby the funeral with his mom, Emily Beineman, when Raelynn decided to ask if she could pet Blue.
“She was walking down the street, and I asked her if I could pet the dog and she said yes,” Raelynn told FOX Television Stations
If your cheeks aren’t wet yet, just wait.
Raelynn was so comforted by Blue that she invited Blue and Beineman to come inside and see her dad. Raelynn said she invited them in, “Because they seemed nice.”
Raelynn’s mom, Lacey, was inside the funeral home while this was happening. She had no idea what was going on at the time.
“I was just sitting there, visiting with some family, and in comes my daughter with a complete stranger,” Lacey said. “It’s one of those experiences I don’t think I could ever forget.”
Lacey said that Beineman told her Raelynn wanted her to meet her father and asked her if that was okay.
Blue stayed patiently at the back of the room while Raelynn escorted her new friend to meet her dad. As for the encounter itself, Raelynn’s mom doesn’t think it was an entirely random event, and Davey himself may have played a role in it.
“I think this was his way of telling her [Raelynn] that he’s still here, and he’s going to be looking down on her and guiding her through this process,” Lacey said.
After all, the dog’s name is Blue, which was Davey’s favorite color. It’s also the color of the colon cancer awareness ribbon.
With plenty of other things to channel her energy on that day, Lacey and Beineman didn’t get much of a chance to connect. However, they’ve met up since then, and they’re arranging more playdates for Blue and sweet Raelynn.
Blue and Emily Beineman’s kindness was so powerful that Greenwood declared May 3rd “Emily Beineman and Blue Day.”
h/t: fox35orlando.com
Featured Photo: @LaceyLeeNast/Facebook
