"It looks like a circus!"

Look at this! See what brings an eager giddiness to my heart. I feel like a child, like Zane and June who clapped to see the colors of fun arrive to the prepared canvas.




I sat down to post these pictures and heard a knock at my door. I was surprised to see the gentle face of a stranger with a bag full of dinner delights. I learned that she is a mother who lost a dear one also. After she leaves I tear into the bread of her kindness and think on what one of her daughters said that morning. She saw the playground equipment being delivered and exclaimed, "Mommy, it looks like the circus!" She and her mom talked about how Sully was giving this playground to her and other children to enjoy. "Mommy, that is a very nice thing for him to do," she replied.

Yes, Sully, it is a very nice thing for you to do, a very nice thing for this community to lovingly create in your honor and memory. Yes, as a mother, I would rather have you whole and well for a lifetime and swing you on that old tire swing. But that is not what I have been given. I was given you with all your imperfections for a short time. But you proved that your heart really was big! Because of you, I have known such love and grace and care, such kindness from even strangers. You have shown me a side of life I may never have seen because I was too busy rushing into nothingness. Perhaps, in this beautiful space, I can always pause, take a deep breath, and remember what you brought to my life. I like that I will continue to hear your name said years after our story has faded. I imaging children and parents continuing to say "Sully's playground" just as your brother and sister do every time we drive by or walk up to look at the progress. Will it reach you in heaven, sweet boy? Will you hear all the mothers and fathers saying, "Let's meet at Sully's Playground." Will you hear all the happy children saying your name?