Beyond Words At age 23, Briahna Baker had her whole life ahead of her. A vibrant young they hit me so hard,” said Angie. woman and mother of a 2-year-old, Briahna stayed busy working two jobs That same morning she saw a poem from heaven that someone and caring for her daughter. When she could she also enjoyed spending time had posted on Facebook. Knowing that Briahna’s mom was strugwith her extended family. gling, she re-posted the poem for her to read. Less than an hour later “Briahna had such a fun, bubbly personality,” recalled Angie Wagner, her Angie got the message that Briahna’s mom read the poem. aunt. “She loved to laugh and act goofy – people couldn’t help but love her.” “I was just trying to ease her pain. It was so hard for all of us.” Like her peers, occasionally BriLater that night, Angie reahna would go to clubs to party and ceived a request for a Words With hang out with friends. On the night Friends game on her iPod from a of Aug. 30, 2013, Briahna was out late friend she hadn’t played with bewith a girlfriend. The pair had been fore. drinking, and on the drive home the Words With Friends is like girls got into an argument. Briahna an electronic version of Scrabble. insisted that her friend pull over on Players get seven random letters to the interstate. When she did, Briuse to spell a word, once the player ahna got out of the car and started posts the word the game automatiwalking against traffic. cally alerts the opponent that it’s “Her friend shouted to Briahna his or her turn. Players can have to get back in the car, but Briahna several games going with different ignored her and kept walking,” said opponents at the same time. Angie. Finally the friend drove off When Angie clicked on the rewith the intention of turning around quest for a new game, she was diand coming back to pick Briahna up. rected to an ongoing game she was Before she could turn the car playing with her husband. around, Briahna stumbled into onIt was Angie’s turn to make coming traffic and was hit by a car. a word. When she looked at the The vivacious young woman died inbottom of her screen, the seven stantly. randomly selected letters spelled: “When someone dies like that, B-R-I-A-H-N-A. you struggle to make sense of things. In that order. We all kept saying if only she hadn’t I started crying. Thinking made that decision… if only her friend about Briahna all day, the song, Seven random letters on Angie Wagner’s Words With Friends hadn’t pulled over, if only…. But there the poem and then this – I knew it game spelled B-R-I-A-H-N-A, the name of her niece who died tragically. aren’t any answers, it’s just incredibly was a sign from Briahna that she painful,” said Angie. was OK. That she was watching over us,” Angie said. Angie’s daughter offered a poignant observation. Angie immediately sent a screen shot to Briahna’s “You read about people who’ve had a tragedy in the newsmom and dad. When she showed her husband he paper and you feel so bad for them, and now we are that shook his head. The odds of getting those letters in family.” that exact order were incalculable, he agreed. Time went by. The family’s inconsolable loss did not To this day Angie is convinced that was a message abate. from her niece. She encourages others who are grievOn one particular day a few weeks after Briahna’s ing a loss to keep their eyes open for a sign. death, Angie couldn’t stop thinking about her niece. “As tragic as it was to lose someone so young, I Images of the young woman kept popping in her mind. believe God is good all the time. And when things Sitting at her desk at work, suddenly the song “See You like that happen, it’s our loved one’s way of letting us Again” began to play on her iPod. know that everything will be OK,” she said. “It doesn’t “I don’t listen to country music, but Carrie Undermake the sadness go away, but it does give you hope wood’s song came on… I listened to the words and that they are in another realm, watching over you.” Briahna Baker and her 2-year-old daughter, Aliyah.
68 I HOLIDAY 2013 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE