Bonny Ann Kilburn

One said that God gives us all a talent, and Bonny’s talent was love. No matter what cross she was bearing, she was always willing to carry the cross of someone else.

Bonny always accepted and respected people for who they were. She never judged. She told me something that I’ll always remember: “Until you walk in someone else’s tenny’s, you will never know what it is to live their life.” She had compassion to a degree that most of us can’t even fathom. Basically, people are who they are, and your only choice is to love them for who they are.

This applies to Bonny. She suffered through pain that some of us hopefully will never have to experience. She survived the best way she knew how. Even if it wasn’t logical or rational, it was just who she was.

It is difficult to accept the things you can’t understand, but that’s what life is all about.

Picking your battles and learning from your mistakes. At times in her life, we all tried different forms of love with the intention of helping her, and often we felt it was never going to be enough. I know she really appreciated everything that was done for her, but in the end, we all had to accept and love her for who she was; there was no other option. At no point did she ever have any bad intentions; her only fault was not loving herself enough.

Bonny put her heart and soul into being the best mother she could, even to some who weren’t her own children. She had a **gift** when it came to children; there isn’t a child that she knew who didn’t fall in love with her instantly. Although her children have suffered a great loss, they are blessed to have a mother like Bonny. She shared a special bond with all of her children, she helped them, and they helped her. She would sacrifice anything to please them. She wasn’t always able to give them much, so she focused on the little things like playing games, or singing and dancing around the living room, and their favorite foods. Memories are priceless, and she left those children with a million.

Bonny cherished her family, and she was proud of us all. She shared a special relationship with her mother; she said that Mama was her best friend. Her mother shared with us one of her fondest thoughts: “Whenever I received a telephone call from Bonny, it always ended with the words, ‘Bye Mama, I love you.’” The really nice thing about it was I knew she meant it, and I also meant it when I replied, **“I love you too.”** She always made sure she said, **“She loved you,” and always gave you a kiss. She always told the kids to give her some “sugar” as she was leaving.

We have all asked the question “why” several times, and my conclusion is that Bonny was an angel sent here by God to teach us all the meaning of true love. She succeeded, we have all learned a lot from her. Her work on earth was done; it was time for her to go home. Even though we have lost so much, we have gained so much more than we even realize. We have a guardian angel watching over us, and we can all be happy knowing that she is at peace.

I struggled through writing this, and I knew she was listening, so I asked her for help. I knew that she would have wanted to give us all a message. I truly believe that she heard me, and the message is this: there are no limits on love, it’s okay to be vulnerable, trust in people to do the right thing, sometimes you need to let the heart lead the mind, and most importantly, have faith in God.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE, BONNY. WE LOVE YOU!