Love Wins - The Carly Henley Project

I was browsing the good ol' internet before class the other day and was reading some book reviews on Rob Bell's new(er/est) book titled Love Wins. The internet, being the internet, can lead to some pretty ridiculous rabbit trails sometimes, but this time, through a series of clicks it put me on a path of sorrow, despair and eventually joy.

Allow me to explain. After reading some book reviews/interpretations (which you should not read until you have already read Bell's book) I stumbled upon a page which was selling "LOVE WINS" shirts. I saw that it was the page for a musician, but being in the library without headphones it was not the perfect time to start playing the jams. Anyways, I found the contact information and sent off an email, making sure someone would reply before I tossed my money out to the internet.

Sure enough, within minutes I got a reply, confirming that shirts were still being sold and that the profits were going to a rock camp for girls. The email was sent to me by a lady named Dede. The mother of the musician, Carly Henley. Dede had asked me if I knew the story behind The Carly Henley project and I said no, but being the inquisitive individual I am, I vowed to do my research when I got home.

Sure enough, there I was listening to Carly Henley's YouTube videos. A lovely lady with a lovely voice.

I tried searching her website for where she was from, with no luck. But when I popped her name into Google a swarm of overwhelming information was sent my way...

It turns out that Carly Danielle Henley took her own life on October 6, 2010 at the age of 20.

You know those moments where you say "Why God?" Yeah, this was one of them. This girl had a bright future and seemed incredibly joyful... I'm not here to try and guess why people do the things they do, but rather to accept decisions made and do my best to use them for good.

Through my conversation with Dede (Carly's Mother) she made a remark that captured what I have been struggling to say for quite some time now.

"Carly was a bright light our world. She shines on still. Her "motto" was "Love Wins." She had this on every guitar she played, written on her wrist, on the bumper of her car. And now, we all must hold onto this. Somehow, through it all, Love Wins, period."

Love Wins has been a personal mantra of mine for a while now, but when attached with this story is gains so much more value. The story of Carly, although tragic, is beautiful. The legacy she left will not soon dwindle away and her life story has already and will continue to change lives.

I encourage you to check out this website, established by Carly's family, making sure Carly's legacy lives on.

Here is one of the last video's Carly posted to her YouTube page.

And last but not least, I need you to remember... That somehow, through it all, Love Wins, period.