To the Man that I will never know:
Not a night passes in which I don’t wonder what you would have done that day had your life not been taken from us. What would you be saying now? Would you sit on my lap and watch cartoons with me? Would you still smile and laugh as much as you always did? Those thoughts invariably move to projections of the future. What would your strengths have been, weaknesses? Would you play video games with me and enjoy watching baseball? Would you be a singer like me, or a piano player like Mommy?
How about food? Would pizza have been your favorite, or maybe a hamburger? Perhaps you would have been vegetarian? The fact is I will never know, and it tears me up inside. I hate that I will never know these things about you. You were an artistic masterpiece that … Read More
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”
― Elie Wiesel
I would like to add to that quote: The opposite of good is not evil, it is indifference. Knowing something is wrong and not doing anything about because you don’t care, or cannot be bothered is tantamount to acceptance and/or support. If we stand by everyday and brush off the things that we know are wrong just because we feel there is nothing we can do about it, we are ourselves guilty of allowing evil into the world.
Take the time to do something good; and regardless of the size of the gesture, you will make a positive change to the world. Do not let apathy stop you from making … Read More
Rees was an observer. He often watched me intently, seeing what I was doing, taking it all in and almost never uttering a word. A simple nod of his head, or a smile would confirm that he was assimilating his observations and forming a world view based on his perspective. Rees went to bed every night with a smile and woke up every morning laughing and giggling. Rees was pure joy, and that is not the rose colored ruminations of a father who is trying to remember his son in a positive way, it is the unadulterated truth.
Those who knew Rees will attest to his happiness and its contagiousness. If sadness is truly the opposite of happiness, then the loss of my little boy represents the ultimate sadness. I am sad. I lost my little boy and I will never, ever have the joy of hearing his giggle ring … Read More
Tractors were, by far and away, Rees’ favorite thing. The week before he died we took him to a farm to go pumpkin picking and there were tractors everywhere. I remember commenting to Samantha that he was in tractor heaven. His eyes lit up with each new iteration of tractor he saw. At 22 months old, Rees was not a big talker, but he could say TRACTOR quite well. He kept looking around frantically pointing and saying, “Tractor!”, “Tractor!” – all the while the largest smile I ever saw adorned his beautiful face. Rees, on that day you were in “tractor heaven”, today it is my sincere hope that you have all the tractors you could ever want in heaven 🙂 I never got to have that tractor ride with you on my lap, save for in my dreams. I look forward to the day when you and I can … Read More
We can all be one of Rees’ pieces. One person, touching other lives can start a chain reaction of kindess that can change the world. ReesSpecht Life and make this a better place for all, one piece at a time…