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UPDATE: Picking Up Pieces After Mommy's Gone
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Maggie made sure Martin and Betsy were always on a routine, and that meant she'd make sure they were wearing their "sleep sacks" before she and Kevin would read them their bedtime story.
Kevin and Maggie had read "Goodnight Moon" so many times they not only memorized it but also laced their own twists into the text. They inserted Betsy and Martin into the story and added a "Goodnight Momma" and a "Goodnight Daddy." Then Kevin would take one of the kids, Maggie the other, and they'd put them down for the night.
Last week, after Maggie's funeral in New Jersey, held in the same church where she and Kevin were married, Kevin kept the routine going. He scooped Betsy and Martin into his lap on the couch and began to read.
"In the great green room there was a telephone and a red balloon and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon," he began. He started to choke up when he got to the part when he said, "Goodnight Momma," but he somehow held it together.
When he was finished, it was time to carry his drowsy children to the nursery, which was tricky because he wasn't accustomed to putting them both in their cribs by himself. Cradling Betsy in one arm, he slipped as he laid down Martin, who landed with a slight but harmless thump.
"Sorry, buddy," Kevin whispered. "Be patient with me. I'm still learning how to do this on my own."
-- Christian Davenport The Beirnes' family and friends have started a fund for the children. Go to http:/
