Rest In Peace, Malaya Hammond

She Saved Her Whole Family

Malaya, on the left, and her mom

Mikki Willis has shared that the body Malaya, of the eldest daughter of his very close friends, the Hammond family, has been found. Mikki shared the incomprehensible story here, of how Malaya rescued her family, but she did not make it.

Here he shared how they walked the river bank calling out her name, for days:

In the family’s photos and videos, the family just exude love, joy, and faith. She was so incredibly close to all of them, and they all loved to dance, and play music together, and sing.

This is a shattering situation.

It seems we are only offered shatterings, now, with brief respites in between.

It is a tribute to Mikki Willis that he stayed with them during the agonizing search. His presence must have been very comforting to them.

Who can fathom walking a river bank calling out for a daughter?

I don’t want to think about it.

The bridge collapsed. Like the opening of The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

This is the last line of the book:

"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."

—Thornton Wilder