Without a Word_ How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything - Jill Kelly [94]
I am so thankful to God for allowing me that special night, one-on-one with Hunter. He knew that would be my last time with him, and He made it so special!
Love and Blessings,
Barb
(Hunter’s RN)
Today has been filled with thoughts of you and your son, so this present has been a joy to assemble. The picture of your son was taken on another birthday—Hunter and Jim’s—when that little preschooler was determined to make a delicious cake for his dad. As usual, Hunter was not thinking about himself, but about how he could bring joy to someone else. Marion [Hunter’s teacher at the time] and I worked for about two hours to get everything just right, and he totally loved digging right in with both hands. What a fabulous day that was, and what insight it provided into your son’s personality. How many times I would witness that love and determination over the years, and how many times it would spark love and determination in others.
Hunter was with us throughout this special day today. This morning, the biggest dragonfly ever perched itself on our kitchen screen for several hours, allowing us to observe it from all angles and notice how amazingly complex and beautiful it is. Robert said that he thought Hunter would really like the dragonfly because he likes bugs so much.
I shared with Robert this morning the memory of Hunter baking. Robert and I then baked your cake, which is an exact replica of that birthday cake baked several years ago by Hunter himself, although it is quite a bit bigger. This has become Hunter’s cake, and I’m enclosing the recipe for your enjoyment. Robert mixed the cake with the big mixer and not his hands because that would be the way that Hunter would do it now that he is eight. We sang Hunter’s favorite songs and wanted to make the cake as beautiful and delicious as we could to honor his memory.
Robert decided on the cake’s decoration himself, again thinking about what Hunter would want to do for his mom on her special day. He wanted the Hunter’s Hope insignia and also to put “Trust in God” on the cake. The Hunter’s Hope insignia is, of course, green because of “hunter green,” and the writing is in red to represent Hunter’s sometimes-favorite color and the blood of Christ. The gold sprinkles represent the riches Hunter has received in heaven—riches that await us all if we only trust in Him.
Most of all, Jill, I want you to know that we are continuing to build memories of Hunter. We felt his love and presence here today, as I know you do every minute of every day. We thank you for sharing the gift of Hunter with us and hope our memory fills your heart with the love we feel for your son.
With Hope,
Elizabeth (Hunter’s physical therapist) and Robert (Hunter’s best friend)
September 9, 2005
My Memories of Hunter
There are so many… where do I start? It is hard to find the right words for what my special, quality time with Hunter was all about. I can start by saying that Hunter was a teacher and a student, thoughtful and patient, courageous and joyful. Six years is a long time to spend with such a special person, yet the years went so fast. Because Hunter loved to learn, my list of memories is practically endless. I wanted to write down a few of our special moments.
When I arrived at Hunter’s house, I was pretty nervous and I kept thinking to myself: I hope I say the right things to him and I hope he can trust me. It didn’t take long to realize that Hunter was a three-year-old little boy who wanted to explore and learn. During our first year together, we tried every switch toy we could get our hands on and picked out his favorite computer games. He loved toys that made noise (not too loud, though—he told me that right away), and he loved the good old-fashioned learning toys. One of Hunter’s favorite games was when I set a race-car track on his shoulder and together we would make the car go downhill. It didn’t take long to realize that Hunter loved