‘I wish he was here to read it:’ Book honours Bedford, N.S., child

A new book was published in honour of a three-year-old boy who died in Bedford, N.S., six months ago.

It’s been six months since three-year-old Maverick Brown was struck and killed outside of his Bedford, N.S., home.

Maverick was playing outside with his friends when the incident occurred.

His family and loved ones say a day hasn’t gone by where his absence isn’t felt.

“Every morning is hard. It’s tough to get out of bed,” says Maverick’s father, Joel Brown. “But I’m doing all the right steps to get the help. Trying to turn something negative into a positive.”

Through this trying time, Brown was offered a beacon of light by one of his close friends, Alex Morgan.

“I recently just started writing children’s books. And I had the idea that I wanted to do this for Maverick, so I messaged Joel and asked him if he would be okay with me doing it,” says Morgan.

“The writing process just kind of flowed really well. And it was a joint effort. Joel helped a lot. I would write, send it to him, we would edit back and forth, and it just came together really quickly.”

Morgan says the book was completed within a couple weeks and is now available online.

“It felt very important to be doing it…Joel had mentioned, too, that there just isn’t enough books based on grief for children, so it just felt like something that we needed to do,” she says.

“Honestly, I cried immediately,” says Brown. “Because it was just so sentimental to me. It meant a lot that someone would want to reach out and write a book and carry my son’s legacy on.”

Brown says the book, titled “Two More Minutes,” holds a special meaning.

“Two more minutes was what (Maverick) would always say. If it was time to go to bed, if it was time for a nap…time to leave to go somewhere and he was doing something, it was, ‘Can I have two more minutes, mummy? Or can I have two more minutes, daddy?’ And that day he said, ‘Can I have two more minutes to play outside with my new friends?’ And two minutes is all it took to take his life. It was all it took to bring him into this world. And it’s just, I would give anything for two more minutes with him,” says Brown.

Brown and Morgan hope the book helps other families dealing with grief.

“I wanted to share his light and his joy in a way that could help other children kind of understand grief. The story reminds kids that it’s okay to feel sad and it’s okay to feel happy again. Grief is confusing, especially for young children, which is why this book was created. And this book helps them see that all of their feelings are valid and that people they love never really leave their hearts,” says Brown.

“I think (Maverick) would love it. And I wish he was here to read it. I know he’s watching over me, but I really wish he was just here in person to read it. If it reaches one family, even one child, then Maverick’s light shines on.”

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