May 19, 2008

As we come upon the first anniversary of John's death I find myself thinking back to that terrible day. We woke up in high spirits, looking forward to spending the day with our family and excited to be celebrating Charlotte's graduation. We didn't know that it would be the last moments of happiness we would ever have.

This has been quite a journey! I often wonder why we have to live through this nightmare, but as the year has progressed I realized that we have been given other gifts that help us. We simply would not be here today were it not for the many, many friends who have brought us through, from your visits and the countless thoughtful gestures. The memories of John that you have continue to share with us has been such a comfort, and the fact that you still think of him helps more than you know, because to us, it means he isn't forgotten.

That said, I am asking you all to help a little more. In an effort to find a way that I could honor Johnny and make him proud of me, I have decided that on every full moon I would ask everyone I know to try to remember to do one, small, act of kindness towards someone. (You can let someone move in front of you at the market or while driving, hold a door, etc.) John's kindness was, above all else, what everyone remarks about when they mention him. So I thought that we could change the full moon into something that will be a happy way to honor John and we would feel good about ourselves for doing it!

So, here it is, the first full moon. Good luck and thank you so much.

Please email me back if you do not want my reminders, I have used my global email because I am trying to get to as many people as I can...but I totally understand this can be a nuisance. If you do want to participate, feel free to email this to others!


Thanks for listening,
Paula Brophy Pike
(John's mom)