I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

-Percy Shelley (1818)

 

If there is anything that those of you who read our blog or follow our facebook page have hopefully noticed is that I am a positive person.  My positivity remains a defining characteristic, despite the … Read More

We really do wish to make a difference in this world in Rees’ name.  The 40,000 ReesSpecht life Cards that are circulating around the globe are certainly helping us achieve that goal, but that is really only a small part of what we are all about.  Our real goal is to get ReesSpecht Life Scholarships into as many High Schools as we can.  Last May, we awarded our first two Scholarships and we thought it would be nice to check in with the recipients and see what they are up to:  Over the next two nights we will showcase each of our award winners and share with you what they are doing thanks to the help of a little Rees Specht…

adamMy name is Adam Hammer. I am a freshman at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. I’m majoring in Music Education (on trombone) and Music Theory. Read More

It is often stated that a picture is worth one thousand words.  While I am not sure if the actual word count necessary to describe a picture is actually quantifiable, I suspect the number 1000 is used merely as a point of reference for comparison.  In comparison to literary descriptions, pictures give the viewer an irrefutable snapshot of a place in time that, unlike words, is tangible and real.  Words on a page cause our imaginations to generate our own, unique, images of the scene described.  The pictures our minds paint may be intricate and beautiful, but they are merely interpretations based on our own personal experiences and are not real.

Pictures, on the other hand, leave little to the imagination – bombarding us with visual facts that our brain doesn’t have to decipher as much as it has to store.   In a very real sense,  pictures perfectly capture time … Read More

IMG_0670I often hear from people who have heard our story the following words: “I cannot imagine what you are going through.”  I understand where that statement comes from: Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare.  This fear is shared by every parent from the moment their first bundle of joy enters the world.   I acutely recall the conflicting feelings of ultimate joy and nebulous fear when my first daughter, Abigail, was born. – Actually I think those feelings actually started from the moment we found out my wife was pregnant!  Regardless of when those feelings started, every parent is intimately aware of their presence – and time does nothing to abate them.  Even though I am 38, I know my Mother worries just as much about me now as she did the day I was born.  Being a parent presents the opportunity for unmatched reward at a significant cost:  … Read More

IMG_0069“…hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.” – Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption.  Tonight as I sat through a viewing of my favorite film, I was reminded of this quote.  I have literally watched this movie an innumerable number of times and that quote never really hit me like it did tonight.  Hope is the quintessential Human emotion.  It is unique in its ubiquitous applications.  Hope finds itself at home equally lifting us up from the darkness of despair or elevating us ever higher through life’s  crescendos.  Hope reminds us that the worst of times will get better, and promises that the best of times will someday, somehow return.  Hope is salvation and celebration wrapped up in one simple, yet profound, package.  Hope is the unwritten promise that the future holds better times ahead.  Hope is truly a good thing, maybe … Read More