AND AGAIN, THE NIGHT SKY FILLS WITH BALLOONS

As a vigil was being held this last Sunday, for three children whose lives were cut short on one side of Texas City, a frantic search was being conducted for another child who had wandered off and could not be found at the Costa Mariposa apartments out by College of The Mainland. Sadly his body was found around 6:00 p.m. Monday evening in the flood retention pond where he would often visit the resident gander that occupies the pond. While friends, family and media gathered to mourn his passing, the gander called and called as if he too was mourning the loss of his little friend. Although law enforcement had searched the pond, even using sonar to try to locate Xavion, the amount of debris that has gathered at the bottom of the pool made it impossible to make a determination. And so it was that only two days after the vigil honoring the passing of Angela, Prince, and Ashanti, the children of Kimaria Nelson, again friends and family of Xavion Young’s family gathered together to pray and sing, lighting candles and once again, mourning the loss of a life ended far too soon. “Anyone who ever met my son knew he was only a joy and a blessing, with the sweetest heart and the biggest smile you would ever see.” And as the family moved inside, those who had gathered there placed their candles, the remaining balloons, toys and coat hangers – a favorite plaything of Xavion’s – on the fence next to where they had gathered. And in the silence you could still hear the mournful cries of the gander who too had lost a friend.