12. Caroline ÒCalleÓ Cronk died in her parentsÕ embrace on July 18. At her funeral, Rachael wore a white dress and CarolineÕs red toe nail polish. She carried a piece of soft fabric, one half of a blanket Caroline loved that went by the name Light B. The other half they left with Caroline to be buried with her.
After Calle died, Rachael and Kevin asked that the cancer be removed; the tumor would be valuable to medical researchers, but more than that, Rachael could not bear the thought of it remaining inside her daughter.
After CarolineÕs funeral services, family members came to the house and ordered boxes of pizza and talked and laughed. She and Kevin have taken down the ÒBelieve in MiraclesÓ sign above the front porch and replaced it with one that said, ÒThankful For Norwell.Ó After everything, Rachael does not know for sure that there is a God or any eternal promise in love. But she makes herself believe that there is. If she doesnÕt, she says, then I donÕt know where she is.