Close to our Hearts,
Your memory is kept,
To treasure, to love,
And never forget.
~Susan
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James
~ If red roses grow in Heaven Lord, pick a bunch for me
~ Place them in my Dad’s arms & tell him they’re from me
~ Tell him that I love & miss him, & when he turns to smile
~ place a kiss upon his cheek & hold him for a while
~ Because remembering him is easy,
~ I do it…everyday
~ There’s an ache within my heart that will never go away…
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James
I said a prayer for you my friend,
That your struggles would soon end.
That you would feel God’s peace with you,
As you trust Him each day through.
I prayed that you would feel His love,
Rain down on you from up above.
I asked Him to take care of you,
Fill you with joy and laughter too.
I prayed that He would let you know,
That He will never let you go.
That He’d pour blessings down on you,
And make your grey skies turn to blue.
I prayed that God would give you rest,
And that He’d answer your request.
I asked the Lord to touch your soul,
Fill you with hope and make you whole.
My friend I prayed that you would feel,
His gentle touch reach down and heal.
I said a prayer for you my friend,
My best wishes to you I send.
~Nancy Burr
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James
Too often we don’t realize
what we have until it is gone
Too often we wait too late to say,
“I’m sorry – I was wrong.”
Sometimes it seems we hurt the ones
we hold dearest to our hearts
And we allow foolish things
to tear our lives apart.
Far too many times we let
unimportant things into our minds
And then it’s usually too late
to see what made us blind.
So be sure that you let people know
how much they mean to you
Take that time to say the words
before your time is through.
Be sure that you appreciate
everything you’ve got
And be thankful for the little things
in Life that mean a lot.
Growing old is a privilege denied to many.
Never leave behind regrets.
~Author Unknown~
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do, and you shall have peace.
~Epictetus (Greek philosopher; 55-135)
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James
Her hair was up in a ponytail,
Her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy’s Day at school,
And she couldn’t wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her,
That she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
If she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid;
She knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
Of why he wasn’t there today.
But still her mother worried,
For her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
She tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school
Eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
A dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
For everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
Anxious in their seats
One by one the teacher called
A student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
As seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name,
Every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
A man who wasn’t there.
‘Where’s her daddy at?’
She heard a boy call out.
‘She probably doesn’t have one,’
Another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back,
She heard a daddy say,
‘Looks like another deadbeat dad,
Too busy to waste his day.’
The words did not offend her,
As she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
Slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
Came words incredibly unique.
‘My Daddy couldn’t be here,
Because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
Since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories
He taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
And taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes,
And ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I’m not standing here alone.
‘Cause my daddy’s always with me,
Even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
He’ll forever be in my heart’
With that, her little hand reached up,
And lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
Beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love
Of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down,
Staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
But its message clear and loud.
‘I love my daddy very much;
he’s my shining star.
And if he could, he’d be here,
But heaven’s just too far.
You see he is a Canadian soldier
And died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
And taught us all to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it’s like he never went away.’
And then she closed her eyes,
And saw him there that day.
And to her mother’s amazement,
She witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
All starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them,
Who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
They saw him at her side.
‘I know you’re with me Daddy,’
To the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
Of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
Was a fragrant long-stemmed rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
By the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
That heaven is never too far.
Take the time…to live and love.
Until eternity. God bless!
~Author Unknown
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
~Mark Twain
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James
“In the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
~Abraham Lincoln
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James
Last month I watched the movie The Lovely Bones about a 14-year-old girl who is murdered by a serial killer and how she deals with living in the in-between world caught between wanting to get vengeance for her death and wanting to help her family heal.
The movie toys with the idea of: what if your beloved is still here after death?
When the dead girl’s mother creates a tomb (by keeping the deceased girl’s bedroom ‘as is’) in the middle of the house, the girl asks herself “Do you really think that if you seal it up that the pain is going to go away?”
At what point do you put your grief away?
When is it time to let your beloved go?
If you’ve seen the movie I’d like to hear your thoughts about it.
And please know that I’m always here to listen to your story and hear the steps you’ve taken to help yourself heal.
And maybe together we can help others not feel so alone, by sharing our experiences.
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James
“As you think; so you are. As you imagine; so you become.”
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
Read an excerpt now
TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James