The Murphy Boys

Last night Shiya and I sang the following words at least 100 times: I love you I love me I love Ayrie And I love Be Shiya needed extra love this morning so we sang the song another 20 times except this time it was: I love Shiya I love Shiya I love Shiya And I love Shiya I held him tight and rocked him in the back yard while I sang these words to him. On the way to school we listened to Carmina Burana.  If you haven’t listened…read more

Emily posted this photo on facebook last night with the words “Shiya is fascinated to watch his most most favorite boots being washed. He is very bothered that after 4 minutes they are not yet done.  Shiya’s boots really are his security blanket. We really shouldn’t have told him that we were going to wash them tonight…. Next time, we’ll be sneakier.” I hadn’t realized that the boots were, in fact, his security blanket until he woke up this morning and first asked “Where’s Ayrie?” and then asked “Where are…read more

Shiya keeps reaching up into the air and grabbing ‘baby ayrie’ out of the air and happily handing ayrie to me to kiss.  I then place ‘baby ayrie’ on my heart and tell shiya how happy I am that he was able to find ayrie and share him with me and I tell Ayrie how much i love him.  We do it every night before bed and a couple of times during each day.  It really do feel that ayrie is with us in those moments.  So tonight when I…read more

From my good friend and supporter extraordinare, Laurel: Nora, I just wanted to say thanks for posting about your grief–and moments of Light. Only you can know what you are going through, and I am so grateful to you for letting us in a little. I wish so badly that we could all help you carry this pain. I wish the pain that your hundreds of friends are feeling about Ayrie could somehow diminish the pain you feel. My Response: I haven’t been talking to people much in person or on…read more

yesterday we had to cancel shiya’s afternoon plans because the farmer’s market was just too much for him.  We did our Saturday morning ritual of swim lessons followed by the farmer’s market.  One is across the street from another and as we walked over the the market shiya gripped me tightly and said, “we won’t be sad.  right, mom?”  and we weren’t.  we saw people, smiled, ate hot dogs and drank fizzy ginger lemonade.  But when we got home he lost is and cried and threw things about for hours….read more

10.9.10 Perhaps it was time for ayrie to go Perhaps he only had a limited time on earth, had a job to do, had something to teach me or to teach other Certainly this seems to be what the vast majority of people say to me And sometimes I believe it But right now I am mad And I am so sad that I can’t see and I can barely breathe My body heaves with tears as I write this Rage It wasn’t his time! How did this happen?  How…read more

Ayrie in the Light When I was in those moments between awake and asleep last night I felt very peaceful, grateful and even a bit optimistic about the future.  A curious feeling after so much grief.  I felt like Ayrie was in me… as though my soul had moved over to make space for a part of his soul… as though I was experiencing him more completely than I ever did while he was with us…as though a seed was planted.  It was beautiful, intense and in the moment it…read more

People have been asking how they can help and with the help of Laurel (a fantastic friend) we’ve created a website that makes it easy for people to support us in very specific ways.  Just click on the icon above.  Much gratitude and love.  xoxo nora

“We see Ayrie soon?”, Shiya asked tonight. “No,” I told Shiya.  Ayrie’s not coming back. “Maybe tomorrow?  After we sleep?” “No,” I said again. “Maybe just for a little bit?” “No,” I told Shiya.  “And it makes me feel very sad.  It makes my heart hurt.” “But Shiya’s still here!”, Shiya exclaimed. “You are, and that makes me so happy,” I said and gave him a tight hug. Next Shiya and I sat in the hallway outside Shiya & Ayrie’s bedroom and talked to Ayrie.  Shiya told me that Ayrie…read more

Remembering Ayrie Mekai Jones Murphy February 16, 2006 – September 29, 2010 Thank you for being with us to remember Ayrie.  Quakers believe that every person is a source of continuing revelation and that God can speak through each of us through our inner light, our spark of the Divine.  Ayrie ‘s spark glowed so brightly with intense purpose and passion. Our remembrance will begin at 4pm in the Friends Meeting Room with meditative silence.  Nora will break the silence, after which time we invite people to “speak out of…read more