Here is the Speech I gave at my Middle School’s 8th grade “Moving Up” ceremony. It is all about perspective – and how easy it is to change it.
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I cannot keep count of the number of times that people have approached me, or my wife Samantha, and commented on our “strength”. People tell us over and over that what we have done in the wake of our tragic loss is something they themselves could never do given the same situation. My usual response after that comment is “Perspective is a funny thing and you never know what you are capable of until you are in a situation in which you cannot possibly imagine yourself in.” The idea of perspective is something I already wrote about a couple weeks ago, and it was the main idea of the commencement speech I gave on June 21st to my Middle School’s graduating 8th grade class. After I gave the speech countless parents, colleagues, former students and current students sought me out to tell me that I inspire them and that they … Read More
Those who know me personally are keenly aware that, at my core, I am nothing more than an overgrown child who refuses to let go of the fantasies and hopes that most people jettison long before adulthood. It is not an uncommon site in my home to see me watching a cartoon while simultaneously reading a scientific article about Quantum mechanics or the latest developments in genetic engineering. Even today, at the age of 38, I would rather take a trip to Toy’s R Us than to Home Depot. I can just as easily recite the entire rosters of the Justice League of America and the Avengers (including part timers!) as I can the structural differences between the 20 amino acids that make up all of our proteins. I am a man of science whose major thought processes are structured around the precepts of reason and logic who can still … Read More
Everything that I have written since Rees’ passing shares one thing in common: it’s from my perspective – the grieving father who lost his only boy. The pages of text I have placed out into cyberspace have documented my struggles and doubts, my ups and my downs. In return, countless people who I do not know, and most likely will never meet, have showered me with support and urged me to continue documenting my grief and sharing my hopes. Through it all I have remained the voice of ReesSpecht Life, and by extension Rees. As much as I may represent the voice of my little boy, there is no doubt about who is ,was, and always will be the living heart of who he was and what ReesSpecht Life is all about; my wife, Samantha.
Samantha and I are a couple that defies the odds. We met in the summer … Read More