ANTHONY JOSEPH SHALLO - Online Memorial Website

Today is my birthday

Celebrate my life with you

And remember the good times

Not the bad and

Do not be sad;

Look up towards the sun

And catch every ray of light

Upon your cheek.

For I am there with you.

Today is my birthday

Be happy for me

I lived short, but full

I had the pleasure of love

And the joy of my family.

Do not be sad

Look up towards the stars

And catch each twinkle

In your heart.

For I am there with you

Today is my birthday

My legacy is not wealth

Or mighty belongings,

My legacy is you and your life.

Spend it wisely and carefully

Guard it always

Do not be sad

Feel the wind on your face

And in your hair

And know that I loved you

For I am there with you in your laughter

And in your hearts.

Today is my birthday

Learn to live again without me,

Take my strength with you

For you are not alone.

Do not be sad

Feel the rain on your face

Feel all life's treasures and

Know that you are alive!

At each step of the way

I will help you

For I am with you always

Until we meet again

"An Ugly Pair of Shoes"

I am wearing a pair of shoes. They are ugly shoes. Uncomfortable Shoes.
I hate my shoes. Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them. I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
They are looks of sympathy. I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs. They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them. But, once you put them on, you can never take them off. I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.There are many pairs in the world. Some women are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them. Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much. Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think of how much they hurt. No woman deserves to wear these shoes. Yet, because of the shoes I am a stronger woman. These shoes have given me the strength to face anything. They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.
Author Unknown

The Mother's Grief

So fair the sun rose yester-morn,
The mountain cliffs adorning;
The golden tassels of the corn
Danced in the breath of morning;
The cool, clear stream that runs before,
Such happy words was saying,
And in the open cottage door
My pretty babe was playing.
Aslant the sill a sunbeam lay:
I laughed in careless pleasure,
To see his little hand essay
To grasp the shining treasure.

To-day no shafts of golden flame
Across the sill are lying;
To-day I call my baby's name,
And hear no lisped replying;
To-day--ah, baby mine, today--
God holds thee in His keeping!
And yet I weep, as one pale ray
Breaks in upon thy sleeping--
I weep to see its shining bands
Reach, with a fond endeavor,
To where the little restless hands
Are crossed in rest forever!

Ina Coolbrith (1841-1928)

~xxx~

♥ Briefly ♥

He came for only a brief moment,
and drifted away.
A brief flash in time,
He was not meant to stay.
Like a falling star,
to be seen at a glimpse and then to disappear,
A small miracle not meant to be,
A life to go unlived
Yet his existence has altered all of me.
He came into my heart,
Taking with him the dreams and hopes of tomorrow,
Taking away that special part
of my soul.
He is always with me,
Always loved and forever missed.
Like a beautiful sunrise eclipsed by the clouds.
He has made me who I am this very day.
My life is what is left
Since he was taken away.

Author Unknown

Oh, to catch the winds of flight
And soar where eagles go
To leave the woes of troubled souls
Behind me far below
I'd listen to the song of birds
And sail in endless flight
Then chase the sun through cloudy paths
And play with the stars at night.

The boundless heavens for my home
The breeze to lift me high
To rise above my mortal bonds
And never have to die
Knowing I had found the way
To trails where angels trod
And when my wings could fly no more--
I'd take the hand of God.

-C. David Hay-

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♥ Gone - flitted away,
Taken the stars from the night and the sun
From the day!
Gone, and a cloud in my heart ♥
♥ By Lord Alfred Tennyson ♥
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♥ The dawn is not distant, nor is the night starless; love is eternal ♥
♥ By Henry Wordsworth Longfellow ♥
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♥ Where do they go to? ♥
Where do they go to, the people who leave?
Are they around us, in the cool evening breeze?
Do they still hear us, and watch us each day?
I'd like you to think of them with us that way.
Where do they go to, when no longer here?
I think that they stay with us, calming our fear
Loving us always, holding our hands
Walking beside us, on grass or on sand.
Where do they go to, well it's my belief
They watch us and help us to cope with our grief
They comfort and stay with us, through each of our days
Guiding us always through life's mortal maze.
♥ By Kevin Froude ♥
++++++++++
♥ Where do people go when they die?
Somewhere down below or in the sky?
“I can't be sure”, said Grandad, “but it seems
They set up home within our dreams” ♥
♥ By Jeanne Willis ♥
++++++++++
♥ I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long.
If we're in each other's dreams, we can be together all the time ♥
♥ By Calvin and Hobbes ♥

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PLEASE SAY THEIR NAMES
By Don Hackett

The time of concern is over. No longer are we asked how we're doing. Never are the names of our children mentioned to us. A curtain descends. The moment has passed. Life's slip from frequent recall. There are exceptions: close and compassionate friends, sensitive and loving family. Still look. Still ask. Still listen. Thank God for them. For most, the drama is over. The spotlight is off. Applause is silent.

But for us the play will never end. The effects on us are timeless. What can be said, you ask? Please say "their names" to us. Love does not die. Their names are written on our lives. You may feel that they are dead. We feel that they are of the dead and still they live. They ghost-walk our souls, beckoning in future welcome. You say, "They were our children"; we say "They are". Please say "their names" to us and say "their names" again. It hurts to bury their memory in silence. What they were in flesh is no longer with us. What they are in spirit stays within us always. They were of our past but they are part of our now. They are our hope for the future. Please understand we cannot forget. We would not if we could.

We know that you cannot know, yesterday we were like you. Understand that we dwell in both flesh and spirit. We do not ask you to walk this road. The ascent is steep and the burden heavy. We walk it not by choice. We would rather walk it with them in the flesh, looking not to spirit worlds beyond. We are what we have to be. What we have lost, you cannot feel. What we have gained you may not see. Please say " their names" for they are alive. We will meet them again, although in many ways we've never parted. Their spirits play light songs, appear in sunrises and sunsets. They are real and shadow, they were and they are.

Please say "their names" to us and say "their names" again.
They are our children and we love them as we always did.
More each day.

PLEASE, SAY THEIR NAMES.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The tender touch of angel wings,
Brush softly past your face;
Summoned by soft spoken prayers,
To stand here in this place.
Called to keep and guard you,
To touch your heart with love;
Sent as special messengers,
From a holy place above.
Sent to whisper words of peace,
To calm a restless soul;
Sent to watch you as you sleep,
Their angel wings unfold.
They cover you with tenderness,
They watch your slumbering face;
They call you into peaceful rest,
As they stand here in this place.
They walk beside you every step,
As you go about your day;
Their mission is to guard you,
As you travel on your way.
So if you feel a tender touch,
A breeze upon your face;
Just know I prayed for angels,
To keep you in this place.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
~ Allison Chambers Coxsey 1994

ღ An Eternal Bond ღ
Ⓒ Ferna Lary Mills

There is a bond that you can't see
for it's not bound with twine.
It's formed from strands within our souls,
this love that's yours and mine.ღ


***********

When I went home to be with God,
you must now understand,
I took with me this bond of love
and I still hold that strand.ღ


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So look now at my photograph.
The smile, you'll quickly see.
But only hearts can see the strand
forever binding You and Me.ღ


***********

Enjoy the precious memories
although we are apart.
We'll share more joys again one day.
I believe that with all my heart! ღ

We go through life so often
Not stopping to enjoy the day,
And we take each one for granted
As we travel on our way.

We never stop to measure
Anything we just might miss,
But if the wind should blow by softly
You'll feel an angel's kiss.

A kiss that is sent from Heaven
A kiss from up above,
A kiss that is very special
From someone that you love.

For in your pain and sorrow
An angel's kiss will help you through,
This kiss is very private
For it is meant for only you.

So when your hearts are heavy
And filled with tears and pain,
And no one can console you
Remember once again.....

About the ones you grieve for
Because you sadly miss
And the gentle breeze you took for granted
Was just......... "an angel's kiss."
~Unknown