Granger Smith’s Wife Amber Looks to ‘New Adventures’ With Her Family 1 Year After Son River’s Funeral

Granger Smith and wife Amber’s 3-year-old son River died in June 2019, and the family laid him to rest around one week later on June 11. On Thursday, Amber reflected on the anniversary of the difficult day on Instagram, sharing that she remembered having to pick out the clothes her son would be buried in. “No one should ever have to do that,” she wrote. “I was in such a fog, such a state of shock still from the previous few days. How was this happening? This can’t be real.”

When she went to the funeral home to choose a casket for River, Amber explained that “none of them were right” for her son. “I told myself he wasn’t there, he was with Jesus so the casket didn’t matter,” she said. “But deep down it still did.” After she left, the funeral director called her and told her they could get a custom Lightning McQueen casket for River in time for the service, and Amber shared that she knew that was one of many moments during that time in which God was present. “This was Riv,” she wrote. “This was God. I felt God all around me so close during those weeks. He was holding me. He was showing me signs he was with us. The veil between heaven and earth was thin. The casket, our unbelievable friends and family who came from all over to be with us, our incredible church, the amazing Williamson county police department for guiding us, the ‘just his size’ rainbow on a June day in Texas at the service.”

Amber accompanied her message with a slideshow of photos beginning with a shot of River’s bright red Lightning McQueen casket, which had his name written on the side and four tiny wheels. She also posted other photographs from the funeral, including a photo of the small rainbow arcing across and sky and a snap of herself and River smiling together. “As painful as it was, there was a peace,” she wrote. “God is still good.” Amber concluded her post by sharing that her family is preparing to experience “new adventures” as they move to their new land, a spot she knows her son would have thrived in.

“Exactly 1 year later, today, we close on our new land,” she told her followers. “The timing is not lost on me. God is guiding us and I feel Riv with us every step of the way. He would have loved this land. Today marks a new day, new adventures for the Smith family. I will continue to fight, continue to trust and continue to grow. We miss you so much Riv. We love you. We can do this.