The following poem was written by a former student of mine.  I read this and was lost in its beauty and I just had to share it.  What a beautiful tribute to my little boy, and what we are trying to do.  I challenge you to read this without tearing up…

Sparkle

It was not the thunder echoing through the rooms,
Nor the lightning flashing across the clouds, 
That shook me to the bone.

It was not the chilling air,
Nor the pictures of destruction of the television,
That brought tears to my eyes.

No.

It was the fact that I would never hold him in my arms again,
That caused my bones to shake.

It was the thought of never again seeing his beautiful face,
That brought tears to my eyes.

His beautiful blue eyes,
Like the water that stole him away from me,
Shining,
Glistening,
Sparkling,
Would never again steal away my anger,
Replacing it with peace.

His permanent smile,
Encouraging,
Hopeful,
Innocent,
Would never again wake me up in the mornings.

He is gone.

Yet,
In the beauty of the sunrise,
In the majestic rainbow after a storm,
He is still here.

When his life ended,
I was given a new one.

A life with which I will put his smile,
Encouraging,
Hopeful,
Innocent,
Onto the faces of others.

A life where I will make my neighbor’s eyes
Shine,
Glisten,
and Sparkle.

I hope that all is well… the thoughts and prayers of my family are with you and your family.

Sincerely,
Sam M.

Thank you, Sam.  You made our Hearts Sparkle with your Beautiful words…