With too much time passing quickly, sharing a minute long video that warms the heart about our dear teen son Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton, who passed in June 2009 trying to save another (who thankfully was saved) from a wild river scene...

https://youtu.be/ig8ya1wc6ns is the link to a video over a few thousand have seen and been moved by. Thanks to his good friend who put this up shortly after his passing. I was new to Facebook after his final day on earth but 'people were talking about what transpired there' and after a few days or weeks, I tuned into try to learn about all of that. We were interviewed as we were willing to be by a couple of news stations, and a few second clip was taken.

Those are online and so is his Memorial Service, with an inserted live clip or two such as in this first segment https://youtu.be/qWhvqm8sI8s

Some  people criticized me for not being more emotional (and another made a comment along those lines about my conduct during his service a month later...not crying much. Let me add...no one writing such things publickly actually talked with me...hmmm. Would they like to know..maybe I'll share more that sometime) I share that now just to say 'don't let it bother you' if people 'hurt you when you're down'. I once joked with my son that "no good deed goes unpunished' meaning some people cannot appreciate help or something one is trying to offer and may 'turn on you over not only something you do but something you Didn't do' (and that doesn't only mean forgetting to send a thank-you or not bring food to a party or something else some cultured folks may feel is just not cool, even if inadvertent or due to stress and overload or again even if it's a rumor...)

That I am taking time in the wee hours of the night for me (some folks are night owls like Kaelans' grand dad Sandy Paton was and we'll give him a tribute too since he passed only 40 days after Kaelan, but at age 80. Each year was filled with music, work and folk gatherings over the years to many school groups (hundreds likely...I'll check with Caroline, she just may have kept track along with getting 10K on their mailing list which they actually sent multi page booklets to about their records, tapes and CDs before the Internet and an even an answering machine.)

Okay, I will balance that dry humor out with saying mainly we were all showered to the nth degree with kindness and lots of wonderful life experiences...mostly just for showing up and joining in the fun others wanted to have

A decade or two of nature festivals (some winter and summer), weekend events, church gatherings, no problema.Amusement parks and small town parades and carnivals? You betcha! School sports and other team sports and events (skiing, snowboarding, family volleyball and skateboarding and even circus camps)--check, check. Climbing trees and lamp posts, mountains and going caving...some of his Dad's favorites and eager to take the kids when they could keep up.

Even school camping events (Nature's Classroom) and family outings to beaches, both north and south on the Atlantic Ocean and relatives visiting from the West (even Hollywood so tune into the old Twin Peaks to see one such actor cousin, Dana Ashbrooke, and his sis Daphne who acts as well, followed by Paton Ashbrooke.)

The idea that one kid could be connected to so many others makes more sense when realizing both of his family lines lived in a small region of northwest CT for decades. With my Palmer (and Coury) familiy being on the super large size and his Paton family being on the highly talented and loved in the folk music and boating world side, there weren't too many places we Palmer Patons or other branches of the family wouldn't pop up. Well maybe it takes the connected hearts to join together and 'bear one another's burdens' as though we were in church together weekly.

That happened with another fifty or so folks at the now Sharon Congregational Church and we were happy to attend an array of other churches as well, mainly Catholic on my Mom's side and occassionally Mormon on my Dad's side. How's that for bridging the gamut. Meeting some who followed a Native and earth-based lifestyle helped us remember our roots and Kaelan had an affinity to this even as he homeschooled until he was age 7 and 3/4 before he went into first grade in Sharon CT. He did go to Kindergarten for half days and enjoyed that as did his three sisters.

They are all doing well now and are striving to keep the world a safe, beautiful place for their generations and those up and coming.

We are blessed on many fronts and keep the music and good vibes flowing, have lots to celebrate among families, friends and others in our areas in CT and now in NYC. We keep Kaelan close to our hearts and in our minds. I have done a number of trainings in fields to help me understand the more common snaffews that derail people and try to get more preventive measures in place in this blog on livfully.org and when I can do some personal outreach, speak at a Toastmasters Meeting (and there are plenty of clubs welcoming guests so hope everyone can get to one of those or any 12-step program for oneself or a friend when it's an open meeting to listen and learn about resources. I will wrap up for now and hope more can see the youtube short videos on Kaelan's Memorial Service and read as they may have time in segments, Remembering Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton. With 26 letters in his name (like mine, Catherine Bernadette Palmer, at birth) we can appreciate he was ready to play life full out..and as he left with a shout of love, let's allow that to echo in our lives and intentions.

Be a friend to yourself and others in balance and with good will. Kaelan's 8th grade speech is read by his teacher in a middle segment of his service where he shares that 'if you have friends, you can get through anything.' We are still using that good advice and I hope everyone can feel they have a friend and even a buddy here at livfully.org, with encouragement to call for help early on such as by seeing 211.org or in NYC 311.org or by calling those numbers..If it's urgent and of a medical or safey emergency, dial 9-1-1 and remember not to overstep what one has been trained to do, and trust help will arrive in time or the problems won't be complicated by more people being in need of a rescue. I spoke about this today with a firefighter in Brooklyn NY so let's keep safety at home and about town in mind on all fronts, with teams and buddy systems and everyone being a good team player with accountability for where one is and who one is with..and What one is doing if there is any concern about safety. Thanks a bundle in advance...and when the time is right, don't forget to dance....another thing Kaelan did with zest!