Dear Justin Bieber,
Word has it you are back in New York after gallivanting with girlfriend Selena Gomez. How do I know this? Because I saw it on Twitter, the same place where a hashtag is devoted to Margaret Donaldson, a little girl who lost her brother in a tragic flood. #LiftMargaret doesn't have your name on it, Justin, but it's all about you.
Because 10-year-old Margaret wrote a wish list last month that ended up on her mom's blog, An Inch of Gray. She asked for her brother Jack, the 12-year-old who died when floodwaters swept him away from his friends as they played in the rain earlier this fall. But the Internet can't give her Jack back. What they can give her ... with your help ... is you.
Because right above the wish that tears the heart of the average mom in two is the hope for a "Private Concert From Justin Bieber." So far the Internet has done the best it can to comply. Along with that Twitter hashtag, someone at NBC scored Margaret two VIP tickets for the November 23 Today Show Concert -- where you'll be performing. Someone else has arranged for the Donaldson family to attend the American Music Awards in LA where you and that famous hair will be performing. Airfare and hotels are on Coca-Cola, and the family has their fingers crossed for a meet and greet.
That part, of course, is up to you.
So why should you meet Margaret? Really, how could you not?
With my brother a very healthy 20-something, I won't pretend to say I understand what little Margaret is going through right now. The loss of a sibling is different from the loss of a parent, but that doesn't make it any less devastating.
As a big brother, you should know that the bond between siblings is unlike any other relationship on the planet. It's one of the few dynamics that allows for equal parts loving and loathing ... at the same exact time. As a mother to an only child, I have had to face the fact that my child will not enjoy something that I have with my little brother: a person who knows me in a way that no one else will, who understands me because he shares the same background, the same genes. Siblings can be so different, and yet, there's always some part of you that's the same.
To see Jack's name on Margaret's list made my insides ache. But to see your name right above it made me smile. A 10-year-old girl who still wants a Justin Bieber concert with all her heart -- even though she's been through unspeakable tragedy -- is a 10-year-old girl who has not yet lost her child-like innocence. We need to help keep that alive.
Come on Justin, can you really say no to that? America, let's keep on the Biebs to make this happen! Start Tweeting!
Image via jake.auzzie/Flickr