~LOVE, HOPE, JOY~

I REMEMBER: HOW DAVID USE TO CLIMB UP ON HIS DADDYS BACK, LIKE HE WAS RIDING A HORSE. HE WOULD PULL UP ON THE BACK OF HIS DADDY'S SHIRT AND HIS DADDY WOULD, SLOWLY, RISE UP AND START CRAWLING. DAVID LOVED IT. HE EVEN LET HIS DADDY RIDE ON HIS BACK ( OF COURSE DADDY DIDN'T REALLY SIT ON DAVID'S BACK) THEY HAD SUCH FUN.

I REMEMBER: HOW DAVID'S DADDY WOULD CARRY HIM AROUND THE APARTMENT BY THE BACK OF HIS OVERALLS. DAVID THOUGHT HE WAS FLYING.

I REMEMBER: HOW DAVID, WHILE NURSING, WOULD SOMETIMES PAUSE, FOR JUST A FEW SECONDS, LOOK RIGHT AT ME AND SMILE, THEN CONTINUE NURSING UNTIL FULL, AND WOULD FALL GENTLY TO SLEEP IN THE WARMTH OF MY LOVING ARMS.

I REMEMBER: WHEN BABY DAVID WOKE UP FROM HIS NAP, OR IN THE MORNING, HOW HE WOULD STRETCH, STICKING HIS LITTLE BOTTOM IN THE AIR. HOW SO VERY SWEET AND SOFT HE WAS, THE SMELL OF HIM SNUGGLED IN MY ARMS. THE MOST PRECIOUS MOMENTS OF CLOSENESS BETWEEN A MOM AND HER PRECIOUS BABY BOY.

I REMEMBER: HOW DAVID LOVED HIS BINKY SO MUCH. SOMETIMES HE WOULD WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, HAVING LOST HIS BINKY, CRYING, AND I WOULD SNEAK INTO HIS ROOM ON THE FLOOR, FIND HIS BINKY AND REACH INTO HIS CRIB PUTTING THE BINKY BACK IN HIS MOUTH, AND HE'D GO BACK TO SLEEP-LATER HOW HE TEASED ME ABOUT IT, SAYING THAT'S THE REASON HE THOUGHT THERE WERE MONSTERS UNDER HIS BED.

I REMEMBER: THE TIME DAVID GAVE HIS LITTLE BROTHER, BRIAN, WHO WAS JUST AN INFANT,ONE OF HIS RAISINS, BECAUSE HE WAS CRYING AND DAVID THOUGHT HE WAS HUNGRY, ONLY THING IS, I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT UNTIL IT CAME 'OUT' THE OTHER END, PUFFED UP LIKE A GRAPE-KINDA SCARED ME!

I REMEMBER: THE TIME I BOUGHT A WIG, DAVID WAS ABOUT 4 YEARS OLD, AND I WAS PUTTING IT ON, PRIMPING, COMBING, UNTIL I THOUHT IT LOOKED 'GREAT'. DAVID WAS SITTING ON THE STEP, HIS HEAD IN HIS HANDS, SILENTLY WATCHING ME. WHEN I HAD FINNISHED I TURNED TO HIM AND SAID," WELL, HOW DOES MOMMY LOOK?" HE SMIRKED, AND SAID,"YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS!" I NEVER WORE THAT WIG AGAIN, BECAUSE THIS WAS THE SAME 4 YEAR OLD, WHO TOLD ME I WAS 'MORE PRETTY' THAN THE CHARLIES ANGELS.

I REMEMBER: WHEN ONE TIME MOMMY WAS CRYING ( I DON'T REMEMBER ABOUT WHAT) AND DAVID SAW ME CRYING, HE CAME OVER TO ME, PUT HIS LITTLE ARM AROUND MY SHOULDER, AND SAID,"DON'T CRY MOMMY, SANTA CLAUSE LOVES YOU!"  HE GAVE ME A BIG HUG, AND GENTLY KISSED MY CHEEK.

I REMEMBER: THE TIME DAVID'S LITTLE BROTHER, DUSTYN, WAS HIT BY A CAR RIGHT OUT FRONT OF OUR HOUSE, DAVID RAN OUT TO HIM AND KNELT DOWN BESIDE HIM, AND PRAYED FOR HIM. DUSTYN WASN'T BADLY HURT, THANK GOD!

I REMEMBER: ALL THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, AND HEARTFELT GREETING CARDS DAVID ALWAYS GAVE ME; FOR MY BIRTHDAY, MOTHERS DAY, CHRISTMAS, AND SOMETIMES, 'JUST BECAUSE'.

I REMEMBER; THE WAY DAVID WOULD RUN, WHEN HE JUST GOT A NEW PAIR OF SHOES, BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THE NEW SHOES MADE HIM RUN FASTER.

I REMEMBER: HOW HE ALWAYS LOOKED OUT FOR HIS YOUNGER BROTHERS. ONE TIME HIS BROTHER KEVIN WAS BEING PICKED ON AT SCHOOL, DAVID WAS A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL, HE GOT A FEW OF HIS FRIENDS TOGETHER, AND THEY WENT UP TO KEVIN'S SCHOOL ( HE WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL ) AND WAITED FOR THE BOYS WHO WERE TORMENTING HIS LITTLE BROTHER, THEY OF COURSE, DIDN'T TOUCH THE BOYS, DAVID AND HIS FRIENDS WERE PRETTY BIG, SO THEY REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TO. THOSE BOYS NEVER BOTHERED KEVIN AGAIN.

I REMEMBER: THE FIRST TIME DAVID WANTED TO SIGN UP TO PLAY FOOTBALL FOR THE CITY OF ROYAL OAK, WE DIDN'T GET THERE IN TIME, SO HE COULDN'T PLAY. HE WAS SO VERY DISSAPOINTED. HE DID MAKE IT THE NEXT TIME. HE LOVED PLAYING FOOTBALL!!

I REMEMBER: THE TIME HE WENT FISHING WITH HIS DAD, SENSE HE DIDN'T REALLY LIKE FISHING, HE WASN'T VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT IT, BUT HE WENT BECAUSE HE WANTED TO BLESS HIS DAD, SPEND SOME TIME WITH HIM. HIS DAD HAD JUST FINISHED WARNING HIM ABOUT BEING CAREFUL NOT TO GET THE HOOK IN HIS GLOVE (GOOD THING HE WAS WEARING GLOVES) AND HE PULLED HIS HAND OUT FROM BEHIND HIS BACK AND SAID. " YOU MEAN LIKE THIS?" HE HAD THREE BATE HOOKS CAUGHT IN HIS GLOVE, HE AND HIS DAD LAUGHED SO HARD, THEY NEARLY FELL OUT OF THE BOAT!

I REMEMBER: THE DAY OF DAVID AND MELISSA'S PROM, HE WAS SO NERVOUS, HE KEPT SAYING,"SOMETHINGS GOING TO GO WRONG" HE LOOKED SO VERY HANDSOME IN HIS TUX. I TRIED TO REASSURE HIM THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALRIGHT! THEN A HALF HOUR AFTER HIS LIMO WAS SUPPOSE TO ARRIVE, IT WASN'T THERE! THEN AN HOUR........SO HE CALLED THEM. THEY HAD 'FORGOT' TO WRITE DOWN HIS RESERVATION, OMG, HE WAS SO UPSET, HE MUST HAVE CALLED 10 LIMO PLACES, BUT, HE FOUND ONE; THE EVENING WAS SAVED

I REMEMBER:  THE DAY YOUR HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART, MELISSA, YOU FIRST REAL 'LOVE', BROKE UP WITH YOU. I WAS STANDING BY THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, AND COULDN'T HELP BUT OVERHEAR, YOUR CRYING, BEGGING MELISSA NOT TO BREAK UP WITH YOU, I STARTED TO WALK AWAY, BUT THEN, ALL I HEARD WAS YOU SOBBING, YOU WERE ONLY 17. I CAME TO YOUR BEDROOM DOOR, AND KNOCKED, I ASKED IF YOU WERE OK, YOU SAID," NO". I ASKED IF YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT, AND YOU SAID, "YA"....SO I CAME IN, AND YOU TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED. YOUR PRECIOUS HEART WAS BROKEN! I HELD YOU, AND TOLD YOU,"IN TIME DAVID, THE PAIN WILL EASE-UP AND IT WON'T HURT SO BAD! "  YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ME THEN, BUT OVER TIME, WHAT I SAID CAME TRUE. YOU MOVED ON AND FOR MANY YEARS YOU WERE BY YOURSELF, THEN YOU MET AMY. YOUR HEART CAME ALIVE AGAIN. SHE WAS YOUR 'LAST' REAL LOVE..........

I REMEMBER: ALL THE TIMES DAVID TOOK ME OUT, JUST THE TWO OF US, OF COURSE HE WAS A GROWN MAN, BUT HE WASN'T EMBARRASSRD TO BE SEEN WITH HIS OLE' MOM. WE WENT TO THE SHOW AND SAW THE MOVIE, "AS DREAMS MAY COME." WITH ROBIN WILLIAMS. VERY STRANGE MOVIE. PEOPLE MUST HAVE WONDERED, WHY WAS THIS YOUNG MAN WITH THIS OLD LADY? HE DIDN'T CARE. WE WENT ONCE TO SEE THE COMEDIAN, DENNIS MILLER, AT THE ROYAL OAK MUSIC THEATER. I MISS THAT!!! GOING OUT WITH MY SON, HAVING FUN, LAUGHING, SMILING, JUST BEING TOGETHER. TALKING ABOUT LIFE, HOPES, DREAMS, GOALS,ETC.  I MISS HIM!!!!!

I REMEMBER: THE WAY DAVID SMELLED OF HIS FAVORITE COLOGNE. THE WAY HE LAUGHED, THE WAY HE SMILED, HIS BIG BEAR HUGS,  THE FEEL OF HIS ARMS AROUND ME. THE WAY HE CALLED ME,'MA' NONE OF THE OTHER BOYS CALL ME 'MA'. THE WAY HE'D ANSWER THE PHONE, "HEEEELOOO." THE WAY HE ALWAYS SAID, " I LOVE YOU, MA!!  YES I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER DAVID............I WILL ALWAYS AND FOREVER, REMEMBER♥♥