On Wednesday, April 13, 2005, our beloved grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep. These are our tributes to him, placed close to his heart, so that he can read them wherever he is.
From Leila, age 15:
To My Grandfather:
Like a butterfly lightly landing on flowers,
You touched many lives, always leaving your mark.
Lives that will be changed forever by your love,
Lives that will be altered and inspired by your strength and courage.
The lives of people; people who will always love you.
People who will never forget you.
People who will miss you.
The people you love.
And one person, who kissed your forehead,
With tears running down her face,
On the day you let go.
This person;
I love you very much, and I always will
And though you may be gone, you will
Always be in my heart and soul.
From Carolyn, age 16:
Life is Like the Ocean
Life is fragile, like the ocean,
Yet constant, like the waves.
The wave swells and water rises
And the mass moves swiftly and steadily toward shore.
This is birth,
Calm yet frantic.
Occasionally, the wave will die away without ever touching land.
The wave hits the shore and this is life,
A frantic struggle to stay alive,
To leave an impression, a tide pool
for future generations to marvel at.
Then the tide recedes
This is death.
A pull with or against your will
Back to the ocean masses.
Yet, of course, this is the ocean,
and a new wave will always come,
Each pulling a new path through the sand
To erode an easier way in the world.
This is the ocean, and life will come again.
From Aidyn:
It is but a Veil
How can someone you know and love
Be replaced inside your heart?
After life in friendship,
Can you leave and finally part?
When day is done and sun has set,
How do you say goodbye?
How can you express happiness,
When one lives, the other dies?
In truth, you can't, it can't, why can't
It end the way you want to be?
You want to cry until it's heard
In forest and valley.
You are gone, but yet, you're not,
You are there, though I can't see.
You are still there to hear my cries,
In forest and valley.
You are still there to hold my hand,
Though living heart has failed.
Reach out to my hand through the gossamer strands,
For death is but a veil.
From Adam, age 11:
Though you maybe gone, you will never be gone from my heart and soul. I love you very much. I hope you remember me. I always was hoping you would get better when you were in the hospital, but I guess it was stressful for you, but it also was for us. I am very happy that you are gone to a better place, but I am very sad to lose you. Our family is sad to lose you. You were extremely special to me.
