Life Lessons, 1988-2007, by Melody Townsend

From MemoryArchive

Who: Michaela Townsend
What: Life Lessons
When: 1988-present
Where: Savannah, MO

Michaela Ann Townsend was born on June 16, 1988, in St. Joseph, MO. She weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 ½ inches long. Holding her in my arms for the first time. So small. So precious. Knowing I was responsible for her every move, her every breath was overwhelming for such a young mother. Seeing her smile and hearing her coo. What an undeserved gift. I would rock her in the double window of our small home so the sunlight would reach her body, giving her the nourishment she needed, gently rocking and singing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you

Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

Michaela was born in St. Joseph, MO, but moved to Savannah when she was just three. A new house and a chance at small-town life. She would call this community “home” her entire life. Michaela was a rambunctious child, never sitting still when she was little and bouncing off the walls as she grew older. She was full of energy and never met a stranger even though it scared me to death when she would walk up to someone we didn’t know in the grocery store and start a conversation. She filled the room with liveliness and excitement wherever she went. One day she started talking and never stopped. Michaela would talk for hours, I think just to hear her own voice. She loved to sing Hank Williams Jr. in her daddy’s boots, entertaining us day and night.

“We are young country

We like all kinds

Of music and people

‘Cause we don’t draw no lines.”

Michaela’s younger sister, Chelsea, was born on June 28, 1993. The two were five years and twelve days apart. She was a welcome addition to the young family, now a full house. Michaela was thrilled to have a new baby sister at home. She wanted to hold her all the time and couldn’t wait for her to grow big enough to play with. Although they were five years apart, these two played together and fought together like they were twins. Michaela later wrote a poem about Chelsea. It warmed my heart to see how much she really did love her little “Chels”.

My Baby Sister by Michaela Townsend (Jan. 2003)

Chelsea Nicole Townsend

10:28 a.m.

Heartland Hospital West

A new life

Because one was needed

“Rock-a-bye, baby, in the treetop

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall

And down will come baby, cradle and all.”

Michaela attended Minnie Cline Elementary School and Savannah Middle School. She played soccer for three years, tee-ball for two years, and basketball for three years. She enjoyed running, competing in track her eighth-grade year, and played the trumpet in the school band during her middle school years. She was an above-average student academically and loved being with her friends. Michaela never spent a moment alone. She had so many friends that by high school, I quit keeping track. She was involved in sports only as an opportunity to visit with others. She actually stood in the outfield with her softball glove on the ground, talking to the next fielder and ran down the soccer field along with the crowd, having no idea where the ball was because she was talking the entire game. I’m sure coaches loved her. Maybe that’s why her dad and I ended up coaching her tee-ball team!

“Baby, run,

Cut a path across the blue skies

Straight in a straight line

You can’t get here fast enough.”

Michaela began attending Savannah High School in August 2002. She was involved in Future Farmers of America and attended Hillyard Technical School in St. Joseph her junior year, where she was involved in the construction program. She and her sister enjoyed visiting their aunt in northern California each summer. Michaela loved high school and the freedom that came with it. She loved driving and her cell phone, but she loved California even more. Michaela lived for summer when she could spend two weeks with her aunt “Dane.” My sister-in-law would take her anywhere she wanted and spent way too money on her. They saw one another too seldom, but when they were together, Michaela was the happiest she could be. She’d call me three or four times a day just to tell me to guess where she was: sometimes the beach, sometimes holding an armful of loot from Chinatown. She loved the warm weather and the constant sunshine, maybe why she loved the song "Californication."

“It’s the edge of the world

And all of western civilization

The sun may rise in the east

At least it settles in the final location.”

Michaela Townsend died September 29, 2004, at Heartland Hospital East after a one-car accident. She was traveling north on 169 Hwy. between Gower and St. Joseph, MO, when her vehicle left the road and overturned. She will be missed by all who knew her. Michaela was unlike any other person I know. She spoke her mind in all situations, and her sense of humor and roaring laughter were contagious. She didn’t have a serious bone in her body, and you couldn’t meet her once and forget her. She taught me that life is too short, and I need to appreciate the time we have on this earth. She lived every day to its fullest. I truly believe she got up every morning and said to herself, “Hmm, I wonder how much fun I can possibly pack into the next 24 hours.” And if that meant lack of sleep, so be it. I love her and miss her terribly, and I can’t wait to hear her laughter resonate throughout heaven one day, when my family is together again.

“At first she’s gonna come on strong

Like she’ll love you all night long

Like it’s going out of style

Then she’ll leave you with a smile.”

Michaela now resides in Heaven, a place set for her before her very first breath was taken on this earth. She accepted the Lord into her life as a young child and now reaps the rewards of Christ’s sacrifice. She has left behind a legacy that draws many to evaluate their lives and the choices they make. Losing my daughter is the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. I always said I could never survive losing a child. But then God dealt it to me, and He’s providing the strength each day for me to endure until we can be together again. God doesn’t promise us life without pain, but He does promise that He’ll always be with us if we simply learn to trust Him and lean on Him. There isn’t a moment any single day that I don’t think of Michaela and miss her terribly, but I know one day, in the glory of Heaven, I’ll see her again, smiling that wide grin, and hear her contagious laughter that shakes her entire body. Until then, I simply wait upon the Lord.

Works Cited

• Blackmon, Odie and Knowles, Jay. “She’ll Leave You with a Smile.” Perf. Strait, George. The Road Less Traveled. MCA Records. 2001.
• Davis, Jimmie and Mitchell, Charles. “You Are My Sunshine.” Peer International Corp. 1940.
• Flea and Frusciante, John. “Californication.” Perf. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Californication. Warner Bros. 1999.
• Lane, Tony and Smith A. “Run.” Perf. Strait, George. The Road Less Traveled. MCA records. 2001.
• Luther, William C., and Mayo, Aimee. “Who You’d Be Today.” Perf. Chesney, Kenny. The Road and theRadio. BNA Records. 2005.
• “Rock-a-bye Baby.” Artist unknown.
• Williams, Hank Jr. “Young Country.” Born to Boogie. Warner Bros. 1987.