Poetry , Memorial Funds, Projects and Prayer from Visitors
for Littleton
this page added 5-1-99
Above snowglobe made with Love by Nancy Her web page at:
Although I cannot honestly say "I know how you feel" because I have never been through any thing like this, I found a poem which I hope may ease some of the pain I know everyone must be feeling.
Jennifer Row; Port Saint Lucie, FL
"If I was your child
And I had died,
I'd look down from heaven
And see how you've cried.
I'd see all you sorrow
And feel all your pain.
I'd wish I could make you happy again.
If I was your child
And we were apart,
I'd want you to fill up
The hole in your heart
With memories of good times
And happier years,
And I'd send all my love
To dry up your tears!"
(Author and title unknown)
Innocents where have you gone.
When worries of what to wear,
what to do,who goes with who
should still prevail, now left behind
in a bloody trail.
Innocents I want you back,
The way it use to be, with joy and
laughter my constant friend,
all gone, untimely end.
Innocents how can this be ?
They were only babies, just starting
to see , just starting to be.
Innocents I can't accept this pain
I feel . I won't allow you to flee
from the ones left behind.
Can't you see.... They hurt
Innocents, you are absent
from the lives of children
who saw Death and do not
understand.
Innocents...... No. Innocents
no more. Pain is deep
and healing slow.
emtiness,Pain ,Grief.
Innocents... This we vow.
An end to violence against children
an end to Parents tears of grief
an end of Innocents lost
Innocents, you are yet
in generations to come.
evil will not prevail against
Our Children. For now we see.......
By: Michael W. Nason ( Moses766@Aol.Com )
May God Bless you .
Here is the poem...
A Poem written for the parents of the
victims of the columbine high school
tragedy, april 20, 1999, littleton colorado.
a parent's heart cries today
a world sits silent, what to say
they'll bury a child not full grown
one still needing to be shown
the way to peace and how to love
now they're in the heavens above
and as we try to make some sense
from our tragic thoughts so dense
let's take some time as soft winds blow
to let them heal and let love grow.
helen godfrey
4-22-99 (c)
also about the memorial fund...it is
angels from above memorial fund
c/o 1st bank of northern colorado
p.o. box 1209
loveland, colorado
memorial fund proceeds are being used
to obtain bronze plaques and trees for
the victims of the 1995 oklahoma city bombing,
the 1999 colorado, columbine high school tragedy, and in loveland... to all victims of violence throuh alternatives to violence...
with the excess collected to be used for
scholarships and donations to the three
cities...
as a fund raising tool...i have compiled a
book of poems...visions from colorado...
available for a $5.00 or more donation...
i would like to send you a copy...if you
can give me a mailing address...i will send
it...if anyone else wants one...they can
send a self addressed stamped, small
catalog size, with $.77 cents postage...
and i will mail it to them...they can send
it to the address above...with their donation
Onepommom@aol.com Helen Godfrey's email address
or to my home address...angels from above
memorial fund, helen godfrey, director,
4021 cypress court, loveland, co..80538...
no one is getting any money for this...
except for the printing cost...through
kinko's..and they are giving me a special
price...the book is only costing $1.00 per
book to print...so $4.00 from each book
goes directly into the fund...no where else..
thought that was important to let everyone
know...
the plaque will look just exactly like
this...
angels from above
their hearts are filled with sorrow
as they look toward us to borrow
some hope some peace some love
to be our angels from above
helen godfrey
april 24, 1995 (c)
loving thoughts for the victims of the 1995
oklahoma city bombing and the 1999,
colorado, columbine high school tragedy
dedicated to all victims of violence
we will not forget
That is all the info that will help you...if
you need anything else...i will be in and
out all day...and then tomorrow morning
i am leaving for oklahoma city...for 8 days..
visiting my mom & brothers...i grew up in
oklahoma city...i will be visiting with the park
& rec's director there and get to see the
sight...then when i return...i will have meetings
with the littleton park people...we have 3
sites in loveland that we could put the
memorial site...but not sure where yet...where
are you located...? loveland is about 50
miles north of denver...my son & girlfriend
live in highlands ranch...he is a civil engineer
in castle rock...my husband & I have lived
here for 27 years...he was born and raised
in oklahoma city..that is where the okc ties
come in...
well i've bent your ear enough...i really thank
you for the help...i would love to have the
poem to the parents included on the web page...thank you again...and i'll look forward
to hearing from you...let me know about
the memorial fund and i'll send you one...
i haven't ever done much till about 6 mo.
ago with the web...so i'm new at it...but belong
to some groups that have pomeranians...
i have 7...and they are all over...so they are
helping me too...
thanks again...and look forward to talking
to you soon...
love from colorado
helen
smile :O) love is all around
MEMORY
I sit here remembering your wisdom filled eyes.
The tears well up so I turn to the skies.
The thoughts of your love, so very dear.
I close my eyes and wish you were here.
The feeling of warmth when you were close to me.
your beautiful smile I long to see.
I sit here imagining the terror you felt.
If only I could have done something to help.
I Only wish I could take back what was done.
Take back the anger that brought out the guns.
I want you back to be with us.. here.
I think of these things..
and then shed a tear.
Aktrez@aol.com
A TEENAGER'S VOICE
From Where I Stand: A Teenager's Voice from Inside the Culture of Death
On April 20, 1999, there was yet another gruesome shooting in Littleton,
Colorado. Kids killing kids. And again, the entire nation in its uproar is
trying to figure out why.
I am eighteen years old. I live in a small town near Madison, Wisconsin. A
small town just like the ones where these horrifying shootings always seem
to take place. Every time those stories come on the television, I can't
help but notice how easily it could be my small town next. And I want to
know why this is happening just as badly as any parent or police chief or anchorman.
The thing is, I am right in the middle of it. I am in the same age group
as all of these high school kids. So I may have some insight for the
world that has been otherwise unattainable since these shootings started
some years ago. The night of the Littleton shooting, as I was flipping
through the various news channels that were covering the story in
Littleton, Colorado, I heard something that struck a chord in me. An
anchorman was interviewing the mother of a victim in the Jonesboro
shooting. His question was: "If you look at America in the 1950's, you
will find that this kind of thing never happened; whereas if you look at
America today, this kind of thing is becoming more and more frequent. Why
do you think this is happening?"
The woman, of course, could not answer the question. In fact, she didn't
really even try. But I did. I thought about it for a long time that night.
And again the next morning, when my favorite morning radio talk show
asked its listeners why they thought this has been happening. Many people
said it's the parents of the kids. Many people suggested television and
video games. Many people even turned to popular musicians, looking to put
the blame somewhere. But I will tell you what I think it is. What I, a
regular teenager riding on the coattails of Generation X, blame it on. It
is not the parents or the movies or the rock stars. It is AMERICA. It is
this culture of death, this culture in which liberals and feminists and
activists are so anxious to let anything be "OK" that the once tightened,
knotted rope of society is unraveling right beneath us.
Don't you see? There can be no order without discipline. All of those
things people think are causing children to run into a school and shoot
their teachers and peers and even kids they don't know-the movies, the
video games, the parents, the rap artists-they are only REFLECTIONS of
our society. Society breaks down, from one big metaphoric "family" into
50 metaphoric "families" and so on and so on, until you have the actual
FAMILY, the one with the parents and the kids and the dog. It is not one
thing or two things; it is the attitude of an entire "familiar" nation
being reflected back at us in the kids.
Just as that anchorman suggested, something was different about the
1950's. WE WERE CONSERVATIVE. We had boundaries; we had a definite
knowledge of right and wrong throughout the entire nation. We didn't have
feminists pushing women so hard to go get a job that a woman who didn't
have a job was somehow "bad," thereby leaving kids at home with
inadequate parental guidance and often times with parents who were truly
unhappy. We didn't have liberals fighting so avidly to legalize
everything that it was at the point of completely blurring the line
between good and bad. We didn't have a nationwide media surge dedicated
to sex and violence so intense that if you weren't playing killing video
games at age 14, then you were trying to choose between contraceptives
beforehand or abortion afterwards. We didn't have disputes over whether or
not we should help someone who is dying die sooner-over whether or not we
should ASSIST them in committing SUICIDE.
And we certainly didn't have a President who was in favor of NATO bombing
and killing children in Serbia come on the television to grieve the loss
for the families of children killed in America. We live in a loosely tied
society, a culture dedicated to death. If you don't want the kid, kill
it. If you don't want to live out the rest of your God-given days, kill
yourself. Or better yet, have someone else come help you do it. I guess,
no matter how horrible or gruesome or gut-wrenching it may be, it was
just a matter of time before someone got that
"killing-as-a-means-to-an-end" idea stuck in their head for the part
between birth and death as well. Everything that happens in families and
cities and states and countries is the mirror image of the big picture. We
are falling apart as a society. Am I-some random normal teenager in
Farmertown, U.S.A.-the only one who sees that? It's sad and it's hard to
believe, but what's worse is that it's scary.
I think it's time for our--America's--Mom and Dad to ground us--to say,
"If you don't shape up by the time I count to three..." And then really
count to three. Because we are running wild and pretty soon we're going
to be too far from home to ever get back. There was once a great saying by
a famous man that has rung true throughout the history of mankind-in
every family and in every society and in every social group and in every
religion-it was a frighteningly true statement that cannot be disputed. I
am reminded of it now, in the wake of yet another indescribably
tormenting result of a nation gone haywire... "By their fruits you shall
know them."
From Suzywoo2
Hello, Friends!
I'm asking all of you to take time, crochet, knit, or Plastic Canvas a few hearts, angels or candle pins, for the survivors of the rampage in Littleton, Colorado. The pattern for the heart is on this web site that a very dear friend made for us. Click here: columbine Heart Or make any pattern you have handy. The pins should be 3" or smaller, and have small safety pins on the backs. I'm making mine with scraps of yarn, and a size G. Crochet Hook.
This site has a pattern for an angel. Christmas Angel Fridgie
Please check it out! If everyone made 10 little pins, it would add up
fast. I have 80 made so far. Our goal is to reach 1,000 pins. Another group is hoping to gather 1,000, making it possible for each and every student to receive a pin! If everyone mailed them to me on Friday, May 7,
and let's me know for sure that they are in the mail, I will wait for them
all to arrive, then send them to the Police station in Golden, Colorado. I plan on mailing them Express, registered mail. I'll send every one who participates a copy of the mailing receipt. I will include cards, with the name and state of everyone who contributes. This is our way of showing the kids in Colorado that America cares.
Please email me for further information.
Thanks, Friends!
God Bless!
Gina
email Gina at:
Her web site:
Tina,
My name is Rev. Greg H. Beaty. I am the pastor of the First Church of
the Nazarene in Crowley, LA. I am also the the chaplain of the Crowley
Police Department and one of four chaplains for Troop I of the Louisiana
State Police.
I cannot begin to tell you how this has affected the lives of my wife,
Cheryl; my daughter, Meghan: and me. I want to share a couple of things
of interest for the students, staff, parents, and community of Littleton.
First, I was noticed the Sheriffs Department going through a special
drill at our Middle School down the street from us this week. It was
after school hours, and they were in full gear and going through drills.
I pray that they will never have to be used in that role here in Acadia
Parish.
Second, this past Sunday was a day spent in our services remembering the
horrible nightmare in Littleton. I felt that we needed to do something
special on Sunday night. In my church, I have a nurse, school teachers,
a school counselor, secretaries, a retired minister, maintenance men, a
retired school teacher and a retired school administrator.
During the service, I had my daughter come down to the altar and
represent or kneel in proxy for all the students. She is completing her
Freshman year in 4 weeks. Then I had different ones to kneel in proxy of
others as follows:
1.) The high school counselor represented all the counselors.
2.) The nurse represented all the emergency medical personnel and
hospital staff.
3.) The teachers represented all the teachers.
4.) The school administrator represented all the those in administration
at the school and in the school district.
5.) The secretary represented all the secretaries in the school and the
school district.
6.) I had some people to represent the parents.
7,) My District Superintendent was visiting Sunday night, so I had him
to represent all the local, county, & state government.
8.) I had his wife to represent all of the grandparents.
9.) I have a professional photographer in my church who covers three
states in this area taking school pictures. He is working on Prom
pictures right now. Columbine just completed their Prom recently. I
thought about the photographer who took the last pictures of some of
these students. I had him represent that photographer.
10.) As a law-enforcement chaplain, I represented all law-enforcement
agencies in the area.
Tina, we all knelt at the altar of the church literally broken-hearten
and called on God in behalf of the those involved in this tragedy. It
was a special time we spent with our Heavenly Father for Littleton.
We have not ceased to pray. Rest assure that we will continue to pray in
the days ahead. God Bless you for this special web site. In case you
need to reach me, my e-mail address is below under my name.
Rev. Greg H. Beaty
preacherchap@juno.com
God's little gifts,
Growing so fastly,
Yet their end so ghastly.
Once they were here,
Once they were alive,
Once they sat by us in class,
But where are they now?
Be not afraid,
They are in good hands,
Living eternally in the promised land.
Blaming them will make you grow bitter,
But keeping them alive will make you strong.
It was their time to go,
I know you wish it weren't so.
But until you meet again,
Just tell God you love them.
Written by:
~Kristyne McGinley (Aerogurly9@aol.com)
I've lost a dear beloved friend,
Whose captivating smile
Was there to greet me everyday
And make life seem worthwhile.
No longer do these loving eyes
Look into mine with love
Gone is a something from my life
Dim are the stars above
Lord, why must it be so
That best of friends must part
Why did this light depart from me
And take with it my heart
Will I ever feel the warmth
Of that hand of security
And walk side by side
For all eternity
submitted by: Saga47
i have been to your page if you wish to post this there you may
thanks jack ^i^
LOSS IN LITTLETON ©
written by JACK D. MARTURANO
4/29/99 8:48 AM
SADNESS FALLS UPON A TOWN
15 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN STRUCK DOWN
SOMEONE TELL ME IT'S UNTRUE
DEAR GOD PLEASE TELL ME,
WHAT TO DO
I SIT AND STARE AT MY SCREEN
AS THE IMAGES UNFOLD
I SEE THE FACES ONE BY ONE
THEY ARE GONE NOW I, AM TOLD
WHY I ASK DID THIS NEED TO BE
DID THESE CHILDREN HAVE TO DIE
IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE TO EXPLAIN,
CAN YOU TELL ME WHY?
IT HURTS TO WATCH BUT I'M COMPELLED
I SIT AND STARE SOME MORE
I SEE THE CORONER AS HE WHEELS
ANOTHER OUT THE DOOR
I CRY IT SEEMS ALL THE TIME
TRYING TO MAKE THINGS FIT
ASKING THE SAME THING AGAIN AND AGAIN
WHAT IF MY KID WAS HIT
YOU WONDER HOW THE PARENTS COPE
WITH A CHILD NEVER MORE
DID THEY TELL THEM THAT THEY LOVED THEM
BEFORE THEY WALKED OUT THE DOOR
SOME PEOPLE JOKE ABOUT THE DEED
THAT COST THESE KIDS THEIR LIFE
THAT IS IMMATURITY
TO MAKE FUN OUT OF STRIFE
TO THE PARENTS OF THE CHILDREN KILLED
I SAY MOST TRUTHFULLY
THERE ARE MANY MORE OF US WHO CARE
WHO CRY WITH SYMPATHY
THE NEWS WILL STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN
OR FIND SOMETHING TO BLAME
THE ROCK HARD TRUTH ABOUT THIS IS
WE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
TO THE OTHERS THAT WILL READ THIS
A SIMPLE MESSAGE HERE
WE NEVER KNOW WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS
SO TELL YOUR CHILDREN CLEAR
WE LOVE YOU AND WE NEED YOU
MORE THAN YOU CAN KNOW
EVEN IF THERE ARE TIMES WHEN
WE DON'T LET THOSE FEELINGS SHOW
WE WANT YOU TO BE CAREFUL
IN EVERYTHING YOU DO
AND EVEN WHEN YOU'VE MADE US MAD
KNOW WE STILL LOVE YOU
THESE WORDS SHOULD BE EMBLAZONED
ON A SIGN BEFORE YOUR EYE
BECAUSE WE CAN'T TELL YOU THEM
IF YOU SHOULD HAPPEN TO DIE
WE LIKE TO THINK THAT YOU ARE SAFE
WE DO ALL THAT WE CAN
THE WORLD CAN BE A CRUEL AND HEARTLESS PLACE
NOT SAFE FOR ANY MAN
NOW THE MEDIA AND PRESIDENT
CONGRESSMEN WE KNOW
WILL SHOUT AND TRY TO MAKE A LAW
BANNING SO AND SO
BUT AGAIN THE TRUTH COMES SHINNING THROUGH
AND ABOLISHES THEIR LIES
FOR IT SHOULD BE MADE ILLEGAL
FOR OUR KIDS TO DIE!!
with love JACK
THUNDER35O@aol.com