Well Bryant, here is the Wishing Well. The moving (in more than one way) tribute to your generous spirit and personality as well as your intense love of music and art. The Wishing Well will be housed at Goffstown High School and we are going to dedicate it to your memory sometime in the upcoming months.The Well will benefit the Music & Drama Club(s) at the High School. You loved music and performances so much. Ever since the day you were born! So how fitting of a tribute will that be? So many of your friends were there, it is truly amazing! Melissa, Hana, Christine, Nate, Brian, Kristen among them; The Special Olympics group and DreamCatchers kids and of course, the people who make them - Tamy, Charlene, Nancy ... everyone.
Anyway, it was a nice day, kind of brisk which you would have definitely like. Windy. Of course, you and wind, we know that's a match! Everyone was smiling, laughing happy. Talking about you and how much you loved a good time - laughter, music, smiles.
Time has been flying. It's amazing how time goes by, but then again 20 years with you just went by like that. Definitely wanted / needed more. I did have one major epiphany (again). When you were first born and at the hospital those first few months, during that llooooonnnggg drive home one of the songs that would often come on was "Everything I do, I do it for you" by Brian Adams. We had featured that in the CHAD slideshow that Emily did for the Leadership class because that always reminded me of you. And still does.
When you were in the hospital and that song would come on, the part in the song that says "There's nowhere, unless you're there" really meant so much to me. It was true, as soon as I had you, everything else became a mute point, there WAS definitely nowhere (worth being) unless you were there. It made me so sad to know you were in the hospital and I wondered if you would live to leave that place and if you'd ever have any quality of life.
Well cut to now ... we all know the answer. Yes, you lived to leave the hospital and you certainly had a quality of life. The interesting part of this is that you could change the words now to "there's nowhere that you're NOT there" - I see you everywhere. You did so much, lived so much, gave so much. Like Elton John's Circle of Life says "you should never take more than you give ... in the cirlce of life" and that's another yep moment ... you did not take more than you gave, ever.
And that was so apparent yesterday and I am sure will continue to be as your moving tribute makes the rounds, collect coins and helps, in some way, to give more than it takes. That's your life Bryant, your legacy. So yes, I see you everywhere, remember the things we did, the times we had and true to my hopes and dreams for you when you were first born - there is definitely nowhere unless you're there and you continue to be everywhere.
Love you and miss you - so much so it takes my breath away at time,
Mommy
1 comments:
What a beautiful tribute to you Bryant and a deserving one from your Mom. The Wishing Well is also a great Tribute from all your friends who loved you very much and your family and me - How I wish I could be there - Mom was so right about you being everywhere, Bry - Because you are everywhere I look even here in Fla. I hear the song, somewhere over the Rainbow, and there you are, your smiling face, and how you bring tears to my eyes, just because I miss you so much, and when a new release from Disney is out, I'll yell for Grampy to tell him, how much you would have loved to see that video- If I go to a beach I think of how you loved going in the water with your special chair and never questioned how cold the water was, just get me in there your face would say, let me feel those waves, and feel that air against my face.
Just yesterday, riding in the car, Grampy and I were talking about you, and how you had so much of our genes, and how stubborn you could be when you didn't want to do something, or didn't want to be somewhere, or didn't really like somebody, we knew it, maybe they didn't, you would those obnoxious times, when we would have to laugh, because they were so much like the way some of us would act, and then, there was the greatest similarities in our genes, was the kind, loving, and forgiving ways you had Bryant, they were so moving, you would give all of yourself to those you loved, and those who loved you. You truly felt, and those are the genes we identified so frequently. Yesterday when I was cleaning out my closet from the things I put in when we just moved and had to go through, I found so many pictures of the family. When you were younger, etc. What happy times we all had, and there you were, right in the middle of them, laughing and having a great time along with all of us. Then a picture of when Julia was born, I think you heard her crying in that picture, and you definately had a serious look on your face, as if to say, oh, no not a screamer again, we're not taking her home are we? We were in the hospital room in that picture and Grampy was holding Julia. It was funny. Then I came across a clipping from the NH Sunday News, Manchester, NH and it read "New Boston special-needs student inspires carer choice" There was a quotation that read "When I see you learn, change and improve on learning different activities everyday, I figured out that all my favorite things to do can be put into one job." written by Ashley Lynch, talking about her friend, Bryant Paquette. In the picture Bryant, you have this proud smile, as cute as can be pictured with pretty Ashley and you were only 13 years old. What a testimony even then to your dynamic ability to inspire people.
I am happy that your wishing well will be in the Goffstown High School where you spent so much of your later years in and the coins that will be collected donated to that which you loved so much, music!!!!! no one can doubt that.
I love you and miss you - Grammu
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