9/11/2000 – Patrick’s Birthday. 9/11/2001 – The day the world stood still. Flash forward to 9/11/19….Patrick moved on 4-1/2 years ago. Certain days are the hardest for me. Like his birthday…like 9/11. I felt sad. It was a day of daydreaming back to days gone by. When someone dies, we lose much more than that

Did I really have a son? Or was it a lovely dream? Did he really die? Or was that a nightmare? Did I really use his name and image to create a mission? Does that mission help thousands of kids every year in his honor? I am not always sure. Sometimes it feels like someone

Pure love. Pure passion. Pure anger. You took my child. You keep taking our chlldren. But you did not take me. You did not take my heart. You did not take my energy. You did not take my drive. You will not break me. You will not harden me. I am as strong as the

MOTHER’S DREAM QUILT PROJECT in honor of Mother’s Day A flyer stated, “A collection of quilts sewn in a uniform quilting pattern known as ‘“Mother’s Dream.” Each quilt contains meaningful fabric from a victim or survivor of gun violence, and is surrounded by blocks submitted by mothers who share in our collective sadness over too

A freezing day with temps dipping near zero. Perfect “January in Chicago” weather. A day to sit inside and be thankful that I have a warm home, good food and loving family and friends. A day to be filled with gratitude and joy. A day to stay in the moment and enjoy this moment. Live

Four years ago, on this night, my son sang Happy Birthday to me. He then went upstairs for awhile. Soon after, I heard his feet bound down our wooden stairs, run a few steps and then slide into the dining room…. knocking into the metal dog gate in a door frame. He stood there and

Patricia liked to work in her garden. It made her feel whole and calm and connected. One day she was walking in her yard, with a large shovel in her hand. She heard …..not really heard, more of a FEEL of a voice. It was her son’s. He had died suddenly and tragically three years

Loving arms hold and caress and warm and embrace and inspire and elevate. Loving arms appear when you need them, when you long for them, when you hope for them, when you pray for them. and when you don’t expect them. Loving arms are shared by mothers, fathers, spouses, siblings, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, in

1,305. That is how many days have passed since we last saw Patrick. 1,879,200 minutes. Approximately. Not a single minute goes by that he is not on my mind. While I eat and sleep and work and play and read and create, he is ever present. His life was short. But, because he was a

It was 1:00am…….She was worried because her son had not come home on time. He was supposed to be home by 10:00pm. He did not answer his phone. His father was out driving around, looking for him. What could have happened? He went to play basketball. Did he get in a fight? Was he laying