Candles in the Wind

Good morning Bel Air neighbors! Sitting here with my Sunday coffee again, thinking about Friday's vigil for Pat Ward. We stayed home and watched the candles float up to Heaven, hopefully reaching Pat to let him know that he was loved by many. It broke my heart to watch those candles, and even my 9 year old step-son Andrew cried. He had helped Pat this past spring when Pat fell in the street and cut his head. Andrew checked on him and ran to get help. Pat thanked him and sent him on his way to the bus stop. Kindness is never overrated.

I cannot imagine, as a mother, what Pat's mom is going through. Life is supposed to be a circle, you have children, raise them, take care of your aging parents, bury them, then get taken care of as you age by your children. No one should ever have to bury a child. My Aunt buried her son at age 16 due to a car accident, and it was the worst time for our family, and something that 17 years later, she is still not over. We hope that our kids will grow up, get educated, get married, and give us grandkids...a piece of us to remain immortal forever. Pat will remain immortal if we continue to remember him, to share his story with our kids, our neighbors, our community. I wish there was the same sense of community everyday that was present Friday night. Maybe then, the violence will end. We need to come together and keep our neighborhoods safe for our children, our future. Our immortality depends on it.