***July Meeting***

When: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 6:30 PM – Doors Open If this Is your first meeting, please arrive by 6:30 7:00 PM—Meeting Begins Where: Kingsland Baptist Church 20555 Kingsland Blvd, Katy, TX 77450 John Burns Building, East side of church Program: Reflections on the Boston National TCF Conference

Directions:

From East of Fry Road (coming from Houston): Go west on I-10 to Fry Road. Turn left (south) on Fry Road. Turn right (west) on Kings-land Blvd and travel 0.5 miles to Kingsland Baptist Church. From West of Mason Road (coming from San Antonio): Go east on I-10 to Westgreen Blvd. Turn right (south) on Westgreen Blvd and travel 0.6 miles to Kingsland Blvd. Turn left (east) on Kingsland Blvd and travel 0.5 miles to Kingsland Baptist Church.

(Across from Nottingham Country Elementary School)

Chapter Leaders Melinda and Glen Ginter (281) 492-1262 Newsletter Editor Annette Mennen Baldwin (281) 578-9118 Treasurer Lisa Leanard

When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and isolated. The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daugh-ter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.

Welcome

We need not walk alone.

We are The Compassionate Friends. We reach out to each other with love, with understanding, and with hope. The children we mourn have died at all ages and from many different causes, but our love for them unites us. Your pain becomes my pain, just as your hope becomes my hope. We come together from all walks of life, from many different circumstances. We are a unique family because we represent many races, creeds, and relationships. We are young, and we are old. Some of us are far along in our grief, but others still feel a grief so fresh and so intensely painful that they feel helpless and see no hope. Some of us have found our faith to be a source of strength, while some of us are struggling to find answers. Some of us are angry, filled with guilt or in deep depression, while others radiate an inner peace. But whatever pain we bring to this gathering of The Compassionate Friends, it is pain we will share, just as we share with each other our love for the children who have died. We are all seeking and struggling to build a future for ourselves, but we are committed to building a future together. We reach out to each other in love to share the pain as well as the joy, share the anger as well as the peace, share the faith as well as the doubts, and help each other to grieve as well as to grow. We Need Not Walk Alone. We Are The Compassionate Friends.

~TCF Credo

Newsletter of the Katy, TX, Chapter

We extend a warm welcome to all who attended their first meeting in June:

The death of your child is probably the most traumatic, life-changing event that you will ever experience. The Compassion-ate Friends is an organization of parents who have also lost a child to death. Each of us has experienced the deep, searing pain that you are feeling now. Each of us has turned to other parents who were farther into their grief journey for guidance, support and understanding. This is done through our monthly meetings, our newsletter, our website, our phone-a-friend program, our library, our e-mail program and our referral program. Each month parents find our meeting to be a safe place where they can talk about their pain and problems with others who are uniquely qualified to understand; bereaved parents offer gentle sugges-tions or often simply listen. We invite you to bring a friend to your first few meetings until you feel a level of comfort with the group. Do not be surprised if we talk about the happy times with our children, the wonderful memories and the various meth-ods we have created to keep our children close to us. It is here that many bereaved parents find hope as those who are more seasoned in their grief shine the light of experience to help illuminate each grief path. We have no dues. We are self-sustaining through donations and the generosity of so many in our community. You Need Not Walk Alone.

July 2013

Carla DeRousse whose son, Sebastian Michael DeRousse, died in November, 2012 Debbie Kerns whose son, Matthew C. Kerns, died in February, 2013 Terri DeMontrond whose daughter, Misty Dawn Smith, died in August, 2012 Karen Smith, whose daughter Carly Beaman Smith, died in April, 2013 Karen Lopez-Bartlett whose whose son, Tristen Luis Bartlett, died in January 2013 Gary Moore, whose son Matthew Lyle Moore died in December 2011 Dena Bonner whose son, Paul LaVigne, died in December 2012 Tara Rice whose twin sons Sean Rylan and Dylan Thomas Rice died in March 2010

Page 2 July 2013

Katy TCF Volunteers Welcome Cards to new members—Joyce Dakin Cards for remembrances—Robin Larsen Newsletter—Annette Mennen Baldwin amennenbaldwin@hotmail.com E-mail to group-Annette Mennen Baldwin— tcfkaty.messages@gmail.com Publicity & E-Mail correspondence—Annette Mennen Baldwin Picture Buttons—Annette Mennen Baldwin Contacting Newly Bereaved Parents—Joyce Dakin Holiday & Craft Projects—Joyce Bode Welcome Packages—Sherrie Schurman Library— Jan Bigbee-Weesner Web Site— Lee Schurman Treasurer 2013—Lisa Leanard—lisaleanard@sbcglobal.net Snacks—Susan Archer – ainasusan@yahoo.com Memorial Bench Maintenance—Delia Granado Chapter Leaders—Melinda & Glen Ginter

Join Our Chapter E-Mail List

Join our chapter e-mail list to re-ceive timely notices, writings, articles, special information and more. This is an important communication tool throughout the month for our mem-bers. To join, send an email to: tcfkaty.messages@gmail.com

Our Children Remembered Birthdays July 1 Alexander G. Seguar III, son of Michele Jasso July 5 Mario (Mijo) Escareno, Jr., son of Viola Escareno July 7 Elizabeth Anne Chamberlain, daughter of David & Colleen Chamberlain July 8 Alan William Thielmier, son of Bonnie & Gary Thielmier July 9 Laura Joanna Lopez, daughter of Fred & Lily Gaytan July 10 Blair Giles Benson, son of Fred & Sherry Benson July 10 Dawn Marie Wilson-Shafer, daughter of Robin Conner July 11 Michelle Rene Redinbo, daughter of Carole Etzel July 11 Lauren Wiese, daughter of Sheryl & David Wiese July 11 Christopher Charles Dunlap, son of Cindy & Lloyd Dunlap July 12 Juliete Eileen Oretega, daughter of Jennifer Ortega July 15 Ryan Evan Fissell, son of Mark & Nanette Fissell July 17 Lindsey Irene Gilbert Willhoit, daughter of Re & E.J. Gilbert July 19 Randy Krieg, son of Sandra & Tom Krieg July 19 Jacob Leen, son of Jason Leen July 20 Paul LaVigne, son of Dena Bonner July 21 Timothy Thomas Laufenberg, son of David & Carol Laufenberg July 25 Ashley Elizabeth Sutton, daughter of Patty Sutton July 28 William Andrew Sattler, son of Jinny Trout July 30 Zachary Wilson Morris, son of Michael & Lisa Morris Anniversaries July 2001 11 Years Michael Robert Harris, son of Jamie & Kathy Harris July 2011 2 Years James Camden Sikes, grandson of Valarie Sikes July 1992 21 Years Lindsey Irene Gilbert Willhoit, daughter of Re & E.J. Gilbert July 2010 2 Years Jorge Alberto Serna, son of Marta & Alberto Serna July 2008 5 Years Dawn Marie Wilson-Shafer, daughter of Robin Conner July 2010 3 Years Juliete Eileen Oretega, daughter of Jennifer Ortega July 2012 1 Year Mark Moellendorf, son of Don Cagle July 2012 1 Year Benjamin Craig Bradford, son of Bruce & Carol Bradford July 2007 6 Years Dustin Elliot Schmidt, son of Erick & Linda Schmidt July 1994 19 Years Steven Edward Gilmore, son of Ted & Terri Gilmore July 2005 8 Years Christopher Frederick Wilson, son of Robin Conner July 2009 4 Years Harley Johannes Hammack, grandson of Susan Hammack. son of Rebeka Hammack July 2008 5 Years Johnny O. Aguilar, Jr. son of Johnny Aguilar July 2010 2 Years Fernando Isaiah Macias, son of Yolanda & Fernando Macias

During your child’s birth month, you are invited to bring a special photograph or Keepsake of your Loved one to share with the group. If you are unable to attend the meeting during

your loved one’s birth month, please feel free to choose another month to share with us.

National TCF Contact

Information TCF National Office P.O. Box 3696 Oak Brook, IL 60522 Toll Free: (877) 969-0010 www.compassionatefriends.org

July 2013 Page 3

Special Small Group Meetings For Parents Whose Child

Was Lost to Suicide

The Katy Chapter of TCF has a unique program for parents whose chil-dren died from suicide. All parents at-tend the opening of our meeting each month and then adjourn to their own private meet-ing for the remain-der of the meeting. Death from suicide usually requires additional and unique group dynamics. This program is offered only to par-ents who have lost children to suicide.

Articles & Poems For Our Newsletter

If you would like to submit a poem, a writing or a brief article (no more than 800-825 words) about your child or your grief journey for publication in our Katy Compassionate Friends newsletter, e-mail your work to Annette Men-nen Baldwin at amennenbald-win@hotmail.com. We encourage our members to share with us.

T

Printed in Loving Memory Of Todd M. Mennen ! 1967-2002

!!

!!!

!

Birthday Table

If your child’s birthday is in July, please bring a picture or memento to our July meeting to share with the group. In May and December we ask that you bring your child’s picture for the birthday table in the month fol-lowing the actual event. We hold our balloon release in May and our Annual Candle Lighting Ceremony in Decem-ber.

National TCF Contact

Information TCF National Office P.O. Box 3696 Oak Brook, IL 60522 Toll Free: (877) 969-0010 www.compassionatefriends.org

July Meeting Includes Reflections Of The National Conference in Boston

During our July meeting, Lisa and Annette will be telling us about the National Compassionate Friends Conference which was held in Boston July 5-7, 2013. Eventually, most of our members attend a National Conference; the 2015 conference will be held in Dallas, TX, which will give all of us an opportunity to attend. Many seminars, some wonderful guest speakers, beautiful mu-sic and the Sunday Walk to Remember all work to create a fantas-tic opportunity for bereaved parents to gain information and de-velop a new perspective on the life journey after the death of our child. We will have small group discussions in July as well as our birthday table. If your child’s birthday is in July, please bring a photo or a remembrance to share with our group. This is a special time reserved specifically for you to tell us about your child and share some special moments from their beautiful lives. We encour-age our members to participate in this gentle tradition.

Check Out Our Library Our TCF library has many books, tapes, CDs and DVDs for our mem-bers. Each one has been carefully selected by a member of our TCF Chapter. The library is available for browsing before and during our meeting. Jan Bigbee Weesner is our librarian, and our steering commit-tee has devoted much thought to the many books and our media in our library.

In Memory of our Beloved Children Memorials Given by: In Loving Memory of:

Glen and Melinda Ginter John Robert Ginter Robin Conner Christopher & Dawn Wilson Joyce Dakin Kelly Brianne Leasher Jamie Lynn Leasher Lee & Sherrie Schurman Sandra Schurman Karl & Melinda Kinley Myron “Spencer” Kinlney David & Colleen Chamberlain Elizabeth “Beth” Chamberlain Bill & Susan Archer Matthew Moore Sherry & Jim Cattan Ty Wilson, our beloved nephew Thank you for your donation to The Compassionate Friends, Katy, TX Chapter

Our chapter is operated entirely by volunteers dedicated to furthering the work of TCF. Your voluntary, tax deductible donations honor your loved one in a meaningful way by enabling us to print and mail this Newsletter and meet other expenses involved in reaching out to other grieving families. Donations along with the name of the person being honored may be sent to: Lisa Leanard 13814 Wheatbridge Drive

Houston, TX 77041

Loving Listeners…..Phone-A-Friend TCF Katy has established a phone-a-friend list for parents who want to talk with someone who shares a similar loss. If you would like to volun-teer to be a phone-a-friend, please contact Annette Baldwin. Loss of an Adult Child…..Annette (281) 578-9118 Only Child…...Annette (281) 578-9118 Murdered Child….. Robin (281) 851-5425 Neonatal Loss…….HAND 832 615 2006 Death of Teenage Child……Joyce (281) 858-4551 or (281) 750 2259 or Brenda (281)804-7087 Accidental Death……..Annette (281) 578-9118 Death from long term illness…...Karen (832) 746-0279 Support for Fathers……..Albert (832) 885-4741 Special Needs Child……. Volunteer needed Suicide ...………..Rhonda (832) 282-7773 Cathy (832)-746-1980

July 2013 Page 4

MY BIRTHDAY GIRL

I remember the last time I saw you Dawn. It was a last minute decision to fly to Missouri for the weekend to be with you. I know God had something to do with that. You had just had surgery and you were not feeling that well. It was like you were my little girl and you needed your Mom. I remember helping you wash and dry your beautiful long, dark hair. It was a great weekend, we were making plans for you to come back to Katy in just a few months. As was our tradition, every year on Chris’ birthday and anniver-sary we would drive to Brookwood Community and pick something out for the garden. The last time we were there you picked a beautiful angel statue. Now it reminds me of you. You were such a beautiful person Dawn, inside and out. You were such a good friend to all who knew you. You were always leaving me cards and little notes telling me how much you loved me. I hope you know how proud I was of you Dawn. I wish you were here for you birthday, but you will be with me in my heart as always. I thank God that I was able to share your life for 33 years. I wish it could have been longer, but God had other plans for you. He needed another angel in heaven. I know you are looking after me from above and perhaps right next to me at times. I love you my birthday girl and miss you terribly. Happy 38th birthday Dawn.

Written in Loving Memory of my daughter Dawn Wilson-Shafer, 07/10/75

Robin Conner, TCF, Katy, TX

Grief Work is Hard Work

When I first began my journey of grief following the death my only child, Todd, I didn’t comprehend that I would have to take an active role in what would come to be defined as “grief work.” All I knew was the pain, the shock, the sorrow, the desire to go to sleep and never awaken. My child was dead, and I had no desire to live.

As the months and then the years passed, I began to realize that I was, albeit unconsciously, doing grief work. Once I realized I could not walk this road alone, I became involved in our Compas-sionate Friends Chapter. That was the beginning of my “grief work.” A few months later I enrolled in a six week program for bereaved mothers. More grief work. I have since attended seminars, retreats and workshops. From each effort I gained something new, some-thing insightful, something that eased my burden just a bit, some-thing that helped me to cope with this, the worst of all losses.

I consumed books. Some were about grief; others were about life. I watched movies, some about grief and some about life. I talked with friends…..sometimes about grief and sometimes about life.

Along the way I found that if I reached out to others, I was, once again, doing grief work. Grief work is healing work. It doesn’t dry my tears, nor does it mend my broken heart. Instead, it allows me to accept that I am in this place and living in this moment. That doesn’t sound like much…..unless one has lost a child to death. Lost a child to death. What a horrifying thought. Yet now I can say it to others, talk with others who are raw and new in their grief and know that I have come to accept that my son is gone from this plane. My grief work will continue until I die.

When we attend workshops, seminars, special presenta-tions, Compassionate Friends meetings, seek professional counseling and privately contemplate the depth of our loss and changes in our

lives, we are doing grief work. Each of us travels this road differently, but we owe it to ourselves to do our grief work. Not easy work, not fun work, not immedi-ately rewarding work, but this is work that a bereaved parent must do. This journey is not about passivity. We are active participants in the healing process.

Annette Mennen Baldwin

In memory of my son, Todd Mennen TCF, Katy, TX

Picture Buttons Picture buttons are free to our members. These are buttons that are made with vari-ous pictures of our children on them. If you would like a picture button, e-mail the pic-ture you would like on the button to An-nette Baldwin. If you have a digital output or an original photo that you want used, bring this to a meeting. Annette will scan photographs and create a digital print out. Digital (paper-not photographic paper) print outs are used on the buttons. We en-courage our members to have at least one picture button of their children. There is no charge for this.

Subscribe to TCF Magazine We Need Not Walk Alone, the Magazine of The Compassionate Friends is published quarterly for bereaved parents and profes-sional grief counselors. This is a beautiful publication which has a full color picture of a different butterfly on the cover each quar-ter. The writings and information in the magazine are tailored specifically for be-reaved parents and siblings. The cost is $20 per year. To subscribe, write or fax our national TCF office:

The Compassionate Friends, Inc. P.O. Box 3696

Oak Brook IL 60522-3696 Phone: (630) 990-0010

Fax: (630) 990-0246

Snacks We thank Susan Archer, Jeri Esmi, An-nete Baldwin, Rpbin Conner and Neela Sen for bringing snacks to our June meeting. If you would like to bring snacks for our July meeting, please contact Susan Archer @ ainasusan@yahoo.com or 281 413 0075.

Our snacks are comprised of simple finger foods. We usually have three or more peo-ple bringing the snacks so that each person need only bring a moderate amount of food.

Compassionate Friends Webinars

As bereaved parents, we know that there are times when there are no words to describe the depths of our pain and dev-astation. Especially during the holiday season, we seek answers, solace and peace. Check the Compassionate Friends website at www.compassionatefriends.org, click on news and events, then search for Webinars. Upcoming webinar events will be listed; some dates will be listed. When you see a webinar you in which you would like to actively participate, just click and register. To view the archives of webinars pre-sented by The Compassionate Friends, go to http://www.compassionatefriends.org/News_Events/Special-Events/Webinars. Whether you choose to participate or simply access the archives of webinars, we encourage to try this format and see if it has a place in your grief toolbox.

July 2013 Page 5

Summer Memories

Summertime is a happy time for most people in this country: vacations, holi-days, family reunions, relaxed days at the pool, evenings in the backyard talking with family and friends, the smell of a fresh rain, the long days, the cooling nights, fresh mown grass and flowers that bloom pro-fusely.

Despite Houston’s heat, summer has become a treasured time for me. My son was a child of summer. Born in May, he loved the summer sun on his face and the wind in his hair as he first rode a tricycle, then a bicycle, then drove a car. Those were wonderful times for him. The summer solstice was a favorite day for us both. Since the summer solstice is the longest day of the year, Todd particularly loved to watch the sunrise and sunset. I found myself do-ing that again this year. As I looked at the sun directly overhead at noon (1:00 pm DST), I made the comment that this is the one perfectly balanced day of the year. Later as I watched a beautiful solstice sun-set, I remarked to my husband about the light….the gorgeous light. I was seeing Todd in that light. He was laughing, chasing lightening bugs, running and spinning and turning, filled with the joy of summer. He was happy.

I listened to the neighbors’ children playing, and I thought about all the wonder-ful summer days I had spent with my son. I am thankful that I had that time. I am thankful that my son was a child of sum-mer. He found much joy in nature, in the outdoors, in activities that took him out of the ordinary and into the sublime.

That’s how it is for bereaved par-ents. We eventually come to a place where we realize that our joyful memories have overtaken the pain of the loss of our child to death. We wouldn’t trade the time we shared with our children for anything or any other experience. The unique nature of the parent-child relationship is so special, so deep, so life changing, that we endure and even embrace the pain because we had, for that time in our lives, a relationship of pure love and pure joy with our child. Yes, we miss them terribly. We weep silently into our pillows at night. We light candles, take flowers to the cemetery, wear their favorite colors, treasure pictures of our children and keep them forever in our hearts. This is a big part of life for every bereaved parent.

Somehow, on the summer solstice, I felt my child’s presence in the light of the

day and the beautiful rose color of the solstice sunset. I could hear his voice, see his smile and feel his emotions. Peace slips into our hearts in

extraordinary ways.

Annette Mennen Baldwin In memory of my son, Todd Mennen

TCF, Katy, TX

Getting Through

Anniversaries and Birthdays July is one of those dreaded months for me. Just the anticipation makes me anxious. Two anniversaries and one birthday. I suppose I would prefer to have them all close together, rather than spreading them out over months and months. Perhaps God did know what He was doing. It is hard to believe it will be six years since my son, Christopher died. He would have been 34 this year had he not been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He probably would be married with a family of his own. That was his plan, him and Amy. I remember exactly like it was yesterday the last time I spoke with him and where I was when I got the news. I remember Chris was the first person I called after I found out I passed the national certification test to become a Nurse Practitioner. The culmination of years of hard work and studying and Chris said to me “I knew you could do it, Mom”. Those were the last words I remember him saying. Three days later I was at a friend’s house in Dallas when I got that devastating call. There are some things you want to remember and some things you wish you could forget. In my mind I re-live that script over and over again. I see myself screaming and falling to my knees in disbelief, thinking there must be a mistake. As I progress through my own grief journey, I find myself thinking less about the unhappy memories and more about the ones that bring a smile to my face. Chris died on July 24th and just three years later my daughter Dawn died in a car accident, on July 19th. Again, I remember the last time I saw her and getting the news of her death. I used to see Dawn more than Chris, just because she lived closer. She was in Missouri; Chris was in New Jersey. Dawn was admit-ted to the VA Hospital for surgery and I made a last minute decision to go and be with her. That must have been God in my ear telling me to go, for it was to be the last time I saw her. She was so happy to see me and so grateful I was there. She was all alone and she didn’t have a high toler-ance for pain. That weekend was all about a mother and her daughter

bonding and spending precious time. That weekend was all about the love between a mother and her daughter. I thank God everyday that I had that time with her. That was June and she was due to come home on July 20th. She died early on July 19th in a one car accident. Her husband’s parents happened to be in Katy and they got the call from a relative. I remember them calling to make sure

we were home because they needed to come and talk to us. I also remember a sick feeling in my stomach that something was wrong. I told my husband they were on their way and I remember saying “I think there is something wrong with Dawn.” I wasn’t prepared for what they were about to tell me. I remember hitting the floor and screaming it couldn’t be true. I remember being in such a good place, dealing with Chris’ death, trying to help other newly bereaved parents through that initial shock period. I asked God why this would happen to me again. I still ask, and still there are no answers. It’s been almost five years and I think the denial part of this whole process has lasted longer with Dawn than with Chris. There are some days I want to call her on the phone and then reality sets in and I know I can’t. She was my precious girl who was al-ways ahead of her time and age. She loved people, and she loved to lis-ten to them and serve them. She was truly a Christian who touched so many lives during her short life here. She was a good friend to all who knew her and such a compassionate person. She would be 36 on July 10th. She wanted so much to be a mother and she would have been the best. I know in Heaven she has a job with chil-dren. I’m not sure how I know that, but I know it. I also know that Chris was there with outstretched hands to welcome her home. It is only the fact that I know they are together, and I will see them again one day that gets me through this journey with my sanity in-tact. I know this is part of God’s big plan for me and my life, I’m just not sure why. I will find out some day, perhaps just not in this life.

Written in Loving Memory of my Children

Christopher Wilson and Dawn Shafer-Wilson By Robin Conner, TCF, Katy, TX Grief to Greatness Website

Several of our members read this website daily. The message is transition to hope after the death of a loved one: http://grieftogreatness.com/index.html

“So long as we live they too shall live and love for they are a part of us, as we remember them” ~ Gates of Prayer

The Compassionate Friends Katy Chapter P.O. Box 45 Barker TX 77413

Return Service Requested

Meeting: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 Reflections on Boston TCF Conference

July 2013 Page 6

Strange Words Welcome New Members

I am always amazed at the instant

empathy we each feel as new members come to their first meeting. We have the strangest welcome for these parents: “We are so sorry you have to be here.”

In other organizations the ques-tions are probing: where did you go to school, where do you work, where do you live? All designed to “size up” the new-comer, put him or her in the proper per-spective of a neatly ordered world. For us, this information is meaningless. We know the world isn’t neat and orderly; we discov-ered that when we lost our children. We care about you, the newly bereaved par-ent, whose life was tossed into a cosmic blender when your child died. We care because we are you. We have been here a while, in this purga-tory of pain. We have learned to live our lives in a different way, to place value on understanding and hope, the intangibles of the purest meanings of life. We have learned to value each other, to reach out and talk, to wait patiently during the si-lences needed to form thoughts. We listen intently as you quietly say your child’s name, tell your child’s story, speak of your heartbreak.

Yes, this is a different kind of wel-come. But it is the most deeply sincere welcome we will ever receive. We are kin-dred souls, you and I. Each of us lives in the “after death” world of losing our child. Each of us has learned gradually that the hope we have attained has made life bet-ter, lessened the pain, moderated the iso-lation, tears, emotional devastation and pure mayhem that once overtook us. Each of us has learned this slowly, in our own time and in our own way.

Each month new parents who have suffered the most horrific loss that a hu-man can endure are welcomed into our group. We reach out, we listen with our hearts and we remember.

Annette Mennen Baldwin

In memory of my son, Todd Mennen TCF, Katy, TX

TIME GOES ON

Another year has come and gone, It’s been six for Chris and three for Dawn. And yet life just keeps going on and on,

Where has all this time gone? Somehow it all seems so wrong. Every night when I go to bed,

I pray sweet dreams in my head. I pray I will dream about the two of you,

This helps me during the night to get through. I’ve never questioned my faith, just my strength, Yes, I have thought about this at great length.

How could it be that this is my reality? It’s only my faith that sets me free.

If it were not for God in my life I couldn’t cope, I could be miserable and angry, without any hope.

But God showed me that I had a choice, I could be sad and angry, but I used my voice.

This voice I used for you and His praise, To lift Him up with hopes to raise.

It is through adversity that we grow, Always it’s hard, this I know.

There is hope in the dawning of each new day, We all must remember it’s hard work to pray.

Thank you God for the trials and blessings each day, That’s how you chose to mold me this way. I know I can and will get through all of this,

After all, I have great memories of Dawn and Chris. I miss you so much my precious ones above,

You’ve given me strength and always your love.

Written in Loving Memory of my Children Christopher Wilson 5/16/77-7/24/05

Dawn Wilson-Shafer 7/10/75-7/19/08 By Robin Conner, TCF, Katy, TX

Summerwind

The one who owns this summer is not here, Not here to know the tender summerwind, Not here to share the glowing and the song. The one owns this summer does not live, Not live to touch the richness of this day, This day in summer when you are alone. Weep to the summerwind, weep and love again The one you remember.

Sascha Wagner From The Poems of Sascha Wagner