It was the kind of Christmas surprise no one in the Bonner family saw coming, except one, in spirit. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a blessing from Lila,\u201d Caitlin Bonner said. \u201cI have no doubt about that. A gift from her and from God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Less than six months after losing their daughter, Lila, in the July 4 Central Texas floods that overtook Camp Mystic, Caitlin and Blake Bonner discovered they were expecting another baby. The news, shared with their younger daughter Scarlett during the holidays, brought a wave of emotions that are difficult to put into words: grief and joy, heartbreak and hope, all at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s obviously a huge blessing for our family. But it doesn\u2019t take away from any of the pain or the loss that we\u2019re grappling with daily,\u201d Caitlin said. <\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNBC 5’s Meredith Land sat down with the Bonner family 10 months after losing their daughter, Lila. They talked about how they are honoring her legacy, grieving and a new blessing.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
For the Bonners, this new life doesn\u2019t replace what they lost. Instead, it exists alongside it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis baby is the only person coming earthside who\u2019s been with her,\u201d Caitlin said. \u201cThat\u2019s how we\u2019re choosing to focus on it. This is the closest we can get to her until we get there. So what a gift that is.\u201d <\/p>\n
Blake Bonner echoed that emotional complexity. <\/p>\n
\u201cTwo things can be true at once,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re devastated, and that will never change. We\u2019ll miss her forever. But we\u2019re also so excited to meet this new baby girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the Bonners first spoke publicly months earlier, the idea of expanding their family felt impossible. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we have a baby that doesn\u2019t know her?\u201d Caitlin recalled thinking. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t have pictures with her. That\u2019s a hard thing to stomach.\u201d But over time, she says, that perspective shifted, especially as they helped their middle daughter, Scarlett and youngest daughter, Wynn, process it. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve reframed it,\u201d Caitlin said. \u201cThis is a gift from your sister \u2026 you are now the ultimate big sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is the best big sister of all time,\u201d Blake said. \u201cShe\u2019s been an amazing shot in the arm for all of us. Full of energy, humor, and love.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week marks 10 months since Lila\u2019s passing. Time, Caitlin said, has changed in unexpected ways. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur world stopped turning on July 4,\u201d she said. \u201cThe more time that goes, she gets further away physically, but closer spiritually.\u201d <\/p>\n
Caitlin describes feeling Lila\u2019s presence every day and seeing signs. Blake said he talks to his daughter daily.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left this world as a 9-year-old,\u201d he said. \u201cNow I\u2019m talking to her every day, asking for advice. She\u2019s become almost a mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through the Bonners’ unimaginable loss, they have built something powerful: a mission. The foundation they set up in her name, Lila\u2019s Light<\/a>, reflects their daughter\u2019s compassion and spirit, focusing on protecting children and helping vulnerable animals. In just months, the organization has raised millions of dollars, rescued dozens of dogs, and rehabilitated horses. <\/p>\n \u201cLila\u2019s Light is meant to bring light to the most vulnerable,\u201d Blake said. <\/p>\n The family is also advocating for stronger safety measures for children, working alongside other families in a group known as Heaven\u2019s 27. Their efforts include pushing for common-sense legislation to improve camp safety. <\/p>\n \u201cThere is no reason it cannot be safe and fun,\u201d Caitlin said. \u201cParents should be able to send their children to camp knowing they\u2019ll be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Caitlin often reflects on who Lila was, a child who preferred lifting others up rather than seeking attention for herself. <\/p>\n \u201cShe was the type of person who shined her light on others,\u201d Caitlin said. \u201cSometimes I giggle\u2026 she\u2019d be mortified that so many people are talking about her.\u201d But she also knows her daughter would be proud. \u201cThe impact we\u2019ve made, for animals, for children\u2026 what a legacy.\u201d <\/p>\n For the Bonners, grief hasn\u2019t disappeared; it\u2019s been redirected. <\/p>\n \u201cGrief is love with nowhere to go,\u201d Caitlin said. \u201cBut it\u2019s not that it has nowhere to go.\u201d <\/p>\n That love now lives in their work, their advocacy and in the way they\u2019re raising their children.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so important to me that her sisters never forget who she was,\u201d Caitlin said. \u201cThat you can still have an impact on this world. You\u2019re never too small to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Blake agrees, saying the goal is simple: \u201cI just want our children to know they had, and still have, a wonderful big sister. Her memory is such a bright spot for our family. It has to continue to be that.\u201d<\/p>\n As they prepare to meet their new baby girl, Caitlin holds onto one quiet hope. <\/p>\n \u201cThat there\u2019s some sign of Lila in her,\u201d she said. \u201cI mean, we already feel it.\u201d <\/p>\n One promise remains unwavering. <\/p>\n \u201cI refuse to let the world forget Lila,\u201d Caitlin said. \u201cThat will be my life\u2019s mission.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bonner family is hosting a sold-out benefit concert, Lila\u2019s Lovefest,<\/a> on May 5 with a surprise Dallas artist. The concert will benefit the Lila’s Light foundation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was the kind of Christmas surprise no one in the Bonner family saw coming, except one, in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":776481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,33332,1596,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-776480","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-central-texas-flood","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-tx","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116525791281453724","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=776480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/776481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=776480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=776480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=776480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}