Celebrating lives, life with words, deeds

Bianca Prieto, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 16, 2006 at midnight

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A throng of mourners poured into Colorado Community Church on Wednesday, most clutching their loved ones with one arm and holding children's books in the other.

More than a thousand books went into four plastic bins that volunteers continuously emptied into waiting boxes, to be sorted and later donated.

It was an outpouring of love made in the name of the fallen Bingham family - Becca, Macie and Garrison - killed by a suspected drunken driver Friday night.

Shortly before the funeral began, 4-year-old Graham Sheldon and his mother, Karen, approached the donation table.

Graham held a special Halloween book he'd chosen for his friend and classmate, Macie.

He whispered special instructions to his mother about what to write on the sticker that was placed in each book.

"This is for you, Macie," Karen Sheldon wrote carefully, before handing the sticker to her son to place in the book.

Graham didn't attend his friend's funeral. Instead, he went to day care in the church basement, joining other children too young to understand the proceedings upstairs.

"He knows and kind of understands what is going on. He is sad," Karen Sheldon said. "It's important for me to know how he is feeling and realize that my feelings are stronger."

Moments later, 2-year-old Garrison's preschool teacher, Nicole Martin, brought in several books.

"There's a father book, a friendship book and a moving-parts book," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "This is a great way to give to other children and have a way for people to feel they can give back and be helpful."

Volunteers filled more than 30 boxes, bins and cartons with the books and nearly ran out of storage before the funeral began.

A day filled with stories

While the adults gathered in the pews to celebrate the lives of the three people who'd touched so many lives, the nearly 40 children in day care celebrated life in their own way.

In the large basement, where hand-painted murals of cows, cacti and chickens grace the walls, the sounds of life and young children filled the halls.

Volunteer baby sitters coddled the infants. The toddlers teetered and tottered as they tried out new walking and crawling skills.

In the rooms for the 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds, there were children who undoubtedly had played alongside Garrison and Macie at one time or another.

Some dressed up in firefighter's outfits, complete with shiny red hats, put together blocks and banged plastic hammers, while others gathered around an adult to listen to stories.

Upstairs, the adults listened to stories about the three people whose lives were taken so suddenly.

"It touches you whether you knew them or not," said Carol Cole, a communications specialist for the church. "It's hard to imagine the loss."

prietob@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5219

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