INDIANAPOLIS — Less than a month after the death of his wife, Rory Feek penned a new, emotional blog post on Easter Sunday.
"I can’t help but think of my bride today," Feek wrote. "What it would mean to her to share Easter this year with our two-year-old. It would be so, so special."
Joey Feek, Rory's wife and half of the country music duo Joey+Rory, died March 4 after a long battle with cervical cancer. She was 40. She left behind a daughter, Indiana, just 2 years old.
"Indy has not asked for her mama. Not one single time since Joey’s been gone. It’s almost as if she hasn’t noticed that she’s not here," Rory wrote. On its face, it's a devastating statement, a child not realizing her mother is gone. But it turns out, it's all by design.
When Joey returned to her Indiana home for hospice care, she was the child's "whole world," her father wrote. All she wanted was to be near her mother. But as Joey's health began to decline, she made a heartbreaking decision: "he must become greater and I must become less," Rory wrote, referencing John 3:30.
So she began giving up her precious last moments with her child to help her bond with the father who must guide her from now on. "She handed the baby to me," Rory wrote, "and sat alone in a bed and watched and listened as my relationship with Indy grew…and hers lessoned (sic)."
By the end, Rory says, Indiana still loved her mother. Still wanted her mother and the two enjoyed many moments together. But she needed her father.
"Thank you, Joey," Rory wrote.
Another blog post revealed that Indiana recently began attending preschool and undergoing therapy to help her learn to walk and talk. Joey had hoped to home school Indiana, but "life has changed that plan."
Father and daughter visit Joey's grave on their farm every day. Rory talks. Indiana plays. "And for a little bit, we’re a family again. Indy is on Joey’s lap and the world is right."
Follow Allison Carter on Twitter: @AllisonLCarter
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