Country singer Granger Smith and his wife Amber tragically lost their three-year-old son, River, in June of 2019 after accidentally getting into the family's swimming pool.
Smith's wife, Amber, posted a series of photographs on the one year anniversary of his passing, showing all of the children smiling together. One photo, taken on the day the parents returned home from the hospital, shows chalk artwork on the sidewalk created by his siblings meant to welcome him home.
Along with the powerful images, Amber's words convey the devastating loss that the family is continuing to struggle with:
"June 6, 2019. One year ago today, we took our 'honor walk' as we walked behind our sweet son down the long hallway to the operating room. River took his last breath in there, without his mommy and daddy," she wrote in the caption. "We know his spirit was with Jesus, but his earthly body was still present and it was so hard to let them close those doors without us. I’ll never forget waiting for what felt like hours for them to come back and tell us everything went wonderful, they were taking the organs to the recipients and he was at peace."
Amber also explained how wonderful the hospital staff were to the family, and described the tender care given to River during his operation.
"They later told me they played the Cars soundtrack as they operated. I still cry thinking of the kindness and empathy from our hospital staff. June 6th was the day Granger and I vowed to not let this break our family. We now had to make the trip home without Riv in his car seat. We now had to tell our children their brother wasn’t coming home. When we got there we saw this."
"My heart hurt so bad knowing they colored these hearts anticipating his return. He wouldn’t return to our home but he was Home. We grabbed our kiddos, I could tell by her face, London already knew what we were about to say, and took them out into the woods where Riv always played. We sat together, held each other and had one of the hardest conversations I hope we ever have to have."
"Today, one year ago, began our trek down this rocky road of grief. There have been many turns, many bumpy spots and many just outright falls, but we are walking, we are moving, we are taking the next steps and I can say that one year later, we are different. In a strange way, we are stronger by His grace. We have learned so much about ourselves and our family and our God. Today we start year 2. A lot of people say it’s harder than the first. I don’t know how it could be but I’m ready to take it on, even if I have tears streaming down my face. I’m ready to keep learning and keep growing and keep trusting my God."
Amber ended the post with a bible verse from Hebrews 11:1: 'Greater is He that is in me in me, than he that is in the world.'
Moving forward, Amber is about to release her new summer line of 'Yee Yee' brand apparel with a portion of proceeds from the launch benefiting The River Kelly Fund.
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