Thanksgiving Tragedy 2013

After the first paragraph, it is easiest to view the comments on the original website of www.topix.com and search for Snowplow info.. These comments were made on the heels of learning of a van hitting a snowplow the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving 2013 in Hillsdale NY, with the loss of one girl who was 5 years old from S Egremont MA. One report I saw had said another had also succumbed to injuries but that was erroneous, which I learned a few days later. ...

This tragic accident claiming the life of ONE young person is one that too many towns have faced, yet one that can draw people closer together over time if taken in part to value all of the people in our lives more fully. There are not enough resources to help the families and friends of a person who "crosses over to the other side" as I prefer to describe the kind of transition that occurs when someone 'dies', particularly one who is young or goes unexpectedly.

I hope that everyone moved by this challenging loss can take time to reflect with others about ways to help the family, their community and themselves in dealing with challenges. In June of 2009, our teen son Kaelan Paton was lost in the Housatonic River in CT when trying to save a friend, who later was thankfully saved by a rescue worker. We held an uplifting memorial service to celebrate his love for life and people about a month later which is on youtube.

People may find some comfort in the folk songs and sentiments shared that day by hundreds of kind souls. There are many theories about the afterlife, and in case there is much more than we can comprehend, let us all find ways to rest in our dreamtime and discover ways to remember our loved ones in meaningful ways for a few minutes or more.

Taking walks outdoors, finding time to journal and write letters to our loved ones, both here and 'on the other side' and being open to all of God's blessings are ways we can honor the legacy and stay connected. More help may be found on www.211.org and ideas can be shared onwww.livfully.org or on Facebook (which also has a public group formed in memory of Kaelan Paton.)

As one part of a song I wrote after Hurrican Katrina goes: Walks, talks, breathing laughter..Was a before, Gotta be an After, Move with Love to Fly Higher, Faster...Easier said than done and Time has a whole new meaning when trying to comprehend and adjust to having one's child or other loved ones transition to the other side as spiritual beings...--which we all have, thank God, who likely have gone before us to be on our helping team as well as for reasons we cannot fully understand..

May we grow in our compassion and care for one another during these trying times which now will color the winter season in bittersweet ways, but let us try to focus on the good in life in all seasons. The families and towns going through this difficulty are in our prayers.

Comment from Nina in PA Saturday Nov 30: I can see by your writings that your son was blessed to have you as a mom. Yes, he was a hero but he was an angel. He was born for a reason and called back to his original home for a reason. News of his goodness spread far and wide. I am sorry for your loss. I am reading a book titled Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne..

Other comments are shared and rejected in negative tones from a few folks..(be forewarned, some graphic lang. on their parts, unfortunately for US-All but at least we're free to do so more or less...)Here's a song from youtube called The Little Girl which is about abuse..That's the silent epidemic which Dr Phil and so many say we need to "break the silence to end domestic violence"..Once the collective consciousness votes dumb-mess-tick, tick, tick  Vi-o-lance Off the Plan-It, that vibe won't have such a foothold and off it'll go to move a mountain that needs moving, not to murder souls or folks. A bit of a 'tangent' but I think All things are Tangentially Related in Significant Ways and IF we'd explore that realm we'd likely come up with some whopping soul-you-tions sooner rather than later...less focus on problems, more on what works to keep

everybuddy safe, respected and in the game of a good l-IF-e (life).