Nicholas' miniature museum includes diecast cars featuring all drivers on the Winston and Nextel Cup circuits. Posters,pictures,books,and many things too numerous to mention round out his wise investment in,love for, and knowledge of the sport OF stock car racing.
"He was standing there by the car waving and grinning like a happy kid as we drove off to return
home. It was the last time I saw him. Of course he was dressed in his signature black and red Earnhardt Goodwrench shirt and hat with the bill
turned not nearly as low as usual so I could see his laughing eyes
and watch his silly faced clowning as the distance made him smaller.For one brief moment I caught his stillness as he gazed
at us beyond the horizon."
Nicholas explaining 'racing ' continued.
With much enjoyment Nick spoke of the various tracks and their reputations. ''Daytona, Bristol, or
Darlington brings differing 'braggin rights''. He spoke of 'Jr.wants a go at the Lady in Black', Burton took home the grandfather clock at Martinsville, or Jeff Gordon has the Brickyard 'gold'.
How sweet Nick's memory, still.
But death has left a lonliness
The world can never fill.
Every day, in some small way,
Memories of you come our way
Though absent,you're ever near,
Still missed,still loved, and So dear.
THIS IS ONE OF MY 'NICK STORIES'
WE WELCOME ANYONE TO SHARE WITH US ANY NICK STORY. FEEL FREE TO WRITE IN ANY SECTION YOU PREFER. LIGHT A CANDLE! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU AND TO ASSURE YOU THAT STRICT FORMALITY IS NOT NECESSARY.
YOU MAY HAVE A VIDEO OR AUDIO THAT YOU AND NICK ARE FEATURED. IF YOU HAVE A PICTURE YOU WOULD SHARE WITH US WE WOULD BE MOST PLEASED! JUST CONTACT THE WEBMASTER,NANCY MCCARTY. CLICK ON THE WORDS ON THE MAIN PAGE IF YOU HAVE AN AUDIO ,VIDEO,OR PICTURE YOU WANT SUBMITTED. IF FOR ANY REASON YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WITH NICK'S WEBSITE NANCY MCCARTY WILL HELP.
Nick and Jenny
We do not know what happened to NICHOLAS. We know that from Sunday morning June 5th till Tuesday afternoon at 5:00 he was agonizingly missing ..His badly decomposed body was found like so much garbage,floating face-up,near the busy downtown area between the world-famous 'Singing Bridge' and its counterpart,,the Capitol Bridge that leads thousands of tourists across to old south Frankfort, her stately capitol building,and the Governor's Mansion.. Thousands of homes dot the landscape along the banks of the historic Kentucky River.
Perhaps one person in one of those homes heard or saw something that night of the 4th and early morning hours of the 5th of June, 2005? Something out of the ordinary? Sounds that disturbed your sleep or interrupted your rest. Perhaps there were screams or angry voices that briefly pierced the balmy Kentucky night. All or each wrapped in the misguided but understandable safety of sleepy Frankfort and its nostalgic environs.
The night was heightened with the Frankfort Capitol Expo winding to a halt within a couple of blocks. Maybe you just thought the odd sound you heard was something to do with this annual event..,,
The 'town within a town',the bustling river boats and homes,beautifully moored there in the harbor-----------maybe another of your residents saw or heard something that you had never put together to be the suffering and dying of a young man.
The man's name is Nicholas McCarty...gone into the
darkness of that closing of the Expo night six long months ago.....
There were unaccounted for screams and shouts heard by witnesses on the river .
A couple of men were sitting on the dock after closing their "River Cafe". The night was quiet and the water calm. The two men were relaxing there when they heard shouting and screams followed by a splash in the water .
These men are veteran river dwellers. This incident startled them and was out of the ordinary enough to cause them to jump in their jon boat and head toward the sounds of the screams and splash they had just heard. They turned on the boats' trolling lights and used flashlights to search carefully going 'up' one side of the river and sweeping the dark waters along the opposite bank coming back down the river. The men were surprised and puzzled when they found nothing. They felt strongly about this so they confirmed the time of the splash to be 1:15AM. Saturday, June5,2005.
Newspaper and the media had alerted the public about the ''missing man". Nick's family members Susan, Jenny, Patty,Zack and his concerned brother Bradley were driving to downtown Frankfort to wallpaper the area with the flyers made by his Aunt Melissa Brown, bearing Nick's picture and asking: "Have you seen this man?"
The newspaper accounts of the "MISSING MAN" had him last seen and disappearing from the near area. The men at the cafe felt beyond doubt that the disturbance they had witnessed had something to do with the missing man. The men told their story to the police and Nick's parents exactly the same with undeterred conviction and fervor. They are strong witnesses.
Trooper Morris said of the two's story: "They didn't know too well." Morris either meant ,the pair didn't know their story too well or the police 'didn't know too well'. This writer has been puzzled at police reaction.
To Lonnie and his nephew , the sounds, without hesitation, were Nicholas!
Nick's body came up within the small area the men had gone to that night. It is adjacent to a pub Nick had visited late that Saturday evening till early Sunday.
Rescuers tell us that we are lucky to get this much closure. Currents could have swirled his body out to the Ohio, linking up with the oceans never to be seen again!
Someone out there knows something about this. Contact state police or the McCarty's. You may not have been interviewed by police but your information is vital!
You may not have known until reading this that you have something to report. Nothing is too small!
A couple in their pleasure boat was cruising up the river when the lady spotted what she took to be a 'body'. She was prepared to bravely take a second look when it was decided that the couple would travel to the "River Cafe"and report what they had just seen.
Mysteriously, or maybe not so mysteriously ,a state trooper was poking in the vegetation along this stretch of the river bank and was picked up and taken to the body.
From the time the body had been discovered till the rescue was achieved it had floated downstream somewhat due to the pickup of the current, Lonnie of the cafe once again enters the story, He was near Nick,helping in any way he could before and during the rescue. One of Nick's arms and hand was out of the water in a slightly bent position while his face was pointing skyward.
The time was 5pm Tuesday, June 7,2005. Simeon Nicholas had been found .
In the summer of 1980 you would have found Nicholas at the local YMCA getting started with his sports pursuits. After seeing a segment on 60Minutes about early childhood development and learning we were consulting with instructors about swimming lessons.
The Y was not comfortable with the concept at that time so we waited about a year for formal lessons. At the age of around 3 and a half he fell in love with swimming. In short time he acheived in swimming. He was the youngest to compete in the Frankfort swim team. He has many trophies, ribbons, plaques, certificates, pictures, jackets, personalized swimwear and now fading newspaper articles in his house today that came from this unique period of his life.
Nicholas was a young tap & ballet dancer under Miss Amy Rogers at Capitol Dance Studio. There were not many males in the classes and shows So Nick landed plum roles such as THE LITTLE DANCERS and WC FIELDS AND HIS CHICKADEES, where he danced and wooed a bevy of young beauties.
He must have liked the pull and stretch of dance so now he took to gymnastics well. Trampoline was his forte. Just about every night was spent at the Y.
He had lessons, school,and travel competition for the swim team on many weekends.
Nick has the distinction of being the youngest allowed in the local men's health club and sauna. The locker room was off limits to kids but not the sports rat himself! Nick was in there flicking towels with the biggest and best of them. Everyone seemed to like him and treat him as if he were older. In the men's sauna Mr. Monday yelled,"He is going to melt or dehydrate!" Nick remained scrooched next to his dad without saying a word while the guys poured on the coals. He only came out to jump in the pool,join a quick game, or demonstrate a gymnastics move to a class. Many thanks and much love go to Tim Bowers,Eddy Smith, and Monroe Monday. Tear-filled and heartfelt appreciation to the coaches and others who loved Nick. Ron Banks was a great gentleman, role model ,and friend. Tim was a photographer and swimming coach. He spent time with Nick taking pics of him in and around the pool.
Nicholas excelled in soccer and has many trophies to prove it. His team went to the Bluegrass Games twice. Nick was interested in football so Sim assured him that his ballet training would come in handy. He never said, but a few years before some kid had probably said something because he took off his sweaty old purple dance shirt to never wear it again.
The football was in now along with basketball that he learned while playing with grownups at the YMCA and pickup games on school lots. He was feisty and tenacious without fear! Just as he rode his 3-wheeler, he put his all into football, soccer, and basketball. He played with his teams over the years, won individual competitions for shooting, attended many training camps such as ROY BOWLING SUMMER Training.
The multi-colored certificates are there in his room today. The frayed, yellowing scrapbooks are there that contain all the clippings of his friends, heroes,and his personal triumphs.
At the time of his disappearance Nick was assumed to be with the two people he had ridden with and supposedly was to have shared the Saturday evening, Matthew Robinson and Chad Hupp. They told authorities they had gone to a pub,The Dragon,
around 10:30 that evening.
This is where the tale goes awry. The place is small with wall to wall elbows and hips sticking out in the pathways that wind their way through to the back door and an upper room with a deck where customers participate from time to time ,in karoake performances. One has only to check the local newspaper, The State Journal, to get a first hand accounting of the mood of South Frankfortonians toward the caterwalling invading their bedrooms in the middle of the night . That is not to suggest that bad singing ever killed anyone .Joining childhood friend Chad Hupp, the three sat at a table together. For a while.
Nick had gone earlier in the evening ,about 9 or 9:30 to his friend's house, Matt . The Robinson's were present and have reported nothing out of the ordinary as Matt dressed and left wih Nick. The two drove in Matt's car and were meeting a second friend,Chad Hupp. They were together for the Saturday night
and a renewal of their friendship.
We Light A Candle
We light a candle for you today,
So that your death may light our way.
You left your life behind too soon,
Now your light shines by the moon.
A star,an angel you were meant to be,
No longer able to stay with me.
God called you back but you left so much;
You'll never know the lives you've touched.
A child's life gone by too fast,
The memories left are built to last.
So as the candle's light shines through,
We'll remember those we once knew.
Nicholas was bubbling over on the night before when he told us how this reuniting with his buddy meant so much to him. He also said it couldn't come at a better time.
Matt had been mad at Nick for several months. Nick had then called Matt's answering machine,went to his house,left notes at his house and on his car. This had gone on eight months without a return call . Nick had about decided to let it go. He seemed comfortable enough with that decision.
Mom, Brother Brad, Nick, and Maw Maw. Nick and Brad were very close.
Mom, Dad, Baby Nick, and Brother Bradley
To Be Absent From the Body is to Be
Present with the Lord
,
Nick would rather off-handedly point to the welcome signs at the edge of town and say he had been there that day or recent... planting shrubs and
flowers or mowing . We would ooh and ah and crack gentle jokes.
He did all kinds of work here: meeting up with various animals, marking ball fields with chALK lines, cultivating,sowing seed,landscaping, driving a thing called a "gator" everyday, and maintaining the various delicate fields and
trails. Nicholas loved his job and his co-
Nick loved my Southwestern decoration,especially the skulls!
Nick's beloved Siberian Huskie, Hannah. Sadly, she passed just three weeks after our Nick did. Now they are romping together in paradise.
Nick's pride and joy was his red Chevy S-10 pick-up truck. He spent a lot of time working on it.
Nick was a huge Nascar fan. He collected diecasts and other memorabilia from his favorite teams which included Dale Earhnardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Bill Elliott. His collections are still proudly displayed in his room.
Nick was also an Elvis fan and a very good Elvis
impersonator. He entertained family, friends and many locals complete with wig, costume, karate stage moves, and vocals to My Way, Viva Las Vegas, and the last song he sang to his daddy- Don't Cry Daddy.
We Love You Forever Nick!
Dark, dark water,deep in the night
We deny you as much as we might
You were our son's last sight
As he lay dying, before dawn's light.
Dark,dark water, deep in the night
Where do you get the right
To take our deepest love, so bright
And kill him, without a way to fight.
The reflection of light in the distance
Shows a town that gave no assistence
Dark water was given no resistence
When he laid down his last existence.
O how can life be with you
Woeful,lacking, sorry two
You allowed this madness to ensue
For to your friend you were untrue.
He was better than all of you
An Adonis, a king,a great champion too
The likes of him come along,so few.
Eons will pass with not a similar view.
When the shadows were erased
From the curves of his beautiful face
His eyes were looking into heaven's grace.
Seldom, if ever, has this been the case.
One sinewy and work-tanned arm
One hand that had given a basketball charm
Out of the water to sound a last alarm
Dark water alone didn't cause my harm!
Dark,dark water,deep in the night
We'll probe your mysteries to their height
Question even the birds in flight
Ask of that June moon to give no slight
This poem was written by Nancy McCarty
for her dear son, Simeon Nicholas
always ''our Nick"
"January...February..,....2008, Nicholas. So cold, so crisp,so
leafless.Days and hours defineless without you. A new beg
-inning,son. Sometimes
new is painful,as these three new years' have proven."
"January is the month of resolutions also, my sweet.
The only resolution Sim,Nancy,and Bradley must make
is to live without you. What a profound sadness that is!
To love you so deeply, so passionately, so completely,only
to have us part."
This child whom I have loved so much
is nowhere close where I can touch.
Sometimes while driving in our car
I try to see into distances afar.
I shut my eyes and shake my head
Give in to the sickening dread.
"Nicholas,did I ever tell you how much I loved you? I've
wondered. Did I ever tell you how much your life has meant
to us? Did your family express to you what an awesome
blessing it was for you to join and complete the McCarty's?
We were honored like royalty and didn't recognize our great-
ness. Somehow we just arrogantly believed that time goes on
forever. It does. You could not.
My beautiful boy.did we as a family,Daddy,Mom,and Bradley
ever look around with you and see how entirely too brief some lives can be? Did we talk about our own end and what
each could mean for you? I think not. Death is reserved for
others. You were not supposed to die. How could you have
disappointed us? Didn't you know that I had plans for you?You had a lot of years to be my baby son? Didn't you realize
that Daddy could hardly bear each day in that lonely house without you? Bradley cannot accepT his little brother's leaving, but what choice has he left? Can he keep out the songs the two of you
listened to together? Can he bear to hear the sound of your voice.once so loud in his ears..now relentlessly fading
across the years?
This son and brother we have loved so much
Is nowhere close where we can touch.
That in itself is a terrible feeling;
It keeps our hearts broken and emotions reeling.
''How,I ask,could you disappoint me? Did I ever stop to think how I disappointed you?How my
grave mistakes and bitter failures disrupted your young life and clouded your sweet innocence forever?. I didn't dare talk to you of life and death because I was precariously holding on to my life, scared of dying, and afraid of facing my own mortality... How cruel life was using
you to prove to me that we do indeed come to an end."
I look at his picture and it's hard to believe that
This is all the older he will ever be.
Those dimpled cheeks will remain the same
Our long talks forever to digest and retain.
''I don't want to accept your death,son ....and never it's
circumstances. Have you any idea how angry this
makes me? My hands are tied, keeping me from
saving the most precious and dear accomplishment of my life-----my child! "Sim is consumed with doubts and questions . "If I had dominated and demanded correctness and truth throughout his life---If I had taught healthy life choices he wouldn't have found himself in a position to die that night.When he didn't come home at a reasonable time why didn't I go looking for him? He had never stayed away a regular day or night in his life."
"Son, I shout across the face of eternity, "I'm sorry!! I love you!"
No daughter-in-law will ever be mine,
No grandchildren from him to take up my time.
Happy New Year I can't say;
Missing you so much from day-to-day
My son should be here
To celebrate this brand new year
But since the McCarty's are bereaved
This is a fact that will never be.....
"Sweet man Nick, you know what mama likes best? When I'm given little
tidbits of your life by those who knew you and loved you.What a bitter-
sweet delight! Each piece of this family's jigsaw puzzle life will eventually fit together.You will be the only missing piece."
Children's Memorial Garden
Cove Spring Park
Brick Dedication
November 3,2007
9:00 A.M
Please join us for the program
The following bricks will be dedicated
Robin Lee Barker Journay
Phillip W. Bates
Chris Simpson
Melissa EggenMansfield
My Guardian Angel
David kent Richards
Simeon Nicholas McCarty
Remy Charles Okonkwo
Allen Scott Dennis
Chari Christine Scrifes
Happy Birthday Sweetheart!
July 25
This memorial was created for our beloved son,SIMEON NICHOLAS MCCARTY.We will love and remember him forever. Feel free to light a candle or leave a tribute. Come back any time and thanks for visiting.
Nick offer s this simple prayer as you enter his site, given by Jesus,it is the salvation prayer, "God I recognize I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have lived only to please myself. I need and want You
in my life. I acknowledge the completed work Your Son did for me on
the cross. I long for the forgiveness You have made so freely available.
Asking this in Your holy name.'' Amen
see SIMEON MCCARTY's
Family Tree
Eternal Flame Made By: De Als Memorials
A candle signifies life and light and so the burning of a
cande brings life and light to Nicholas' memory and to the
hearts of those who care about him.
Thank you Jenny,Sandy,and Bradley for lighting candles on
behalf of Nick,your family member. Thank you to our beloved ''Memory of''' family who have loved Nick.,
I have tried to achieve some kind of "normalcy"since the sudden departure of my 25 year old son,
Nicholas, on June 7,2005. His name cannot be called
too often. That is all I have left: the memories of the
sound of his voice and hearing others call to him in fun and laughter. He was very much a cut-up and
so good at entertaining. He and Bradley had comical routines and dance parodies they regularly performed for me. I laughed till my sides ached.
Roger Wilhoite made the comment that he could be the agent and they could then take Nick's show on the road.
Still very much a work in progress, I am in a
stage whereby my grief has moved from shocked numbness to a higher seeking for a positive resolution in his death
I feel that the court system will do this. Justice in my son's death has not been realized yet. God will reveal His plan, in His time.
I've experienced so many deaths in my family. My beloved father(4/2/82) and brother,7/1/95) succumbed to cancer at early ages. In recent weeks my sweet Uncle James has passed to his final reward.-4/10/06) Another, Uncle Curtis,
staged a brilliant battle but in the end, he
lost the bitter war.
Then my child, Simeon Nicholas, died in the intervening hours of June 5 and 7, 2005. We observed a memorial for him on June 9 and carried him to be buried afterwards. He is silenced forever now.
I have experienced physical suffering and dissappointment. I am faced with a grave,challenging and perhaps dark future, personally and physically----but losing my child is the ultimate tragedy that can ever happen to me.
My world collapsed on the day my son died. To even
describe the pain is not possible.
My idea of grief was that one kept one's feelings private. My role model was my mother, who was and is stoic in the face of adversity.
Mother is strong and didn't break down and betray her suffering over losing my FATHER and her OWN son.
As long as I live and love, my grief will remain. To write poetry, helps . I will deal with this catastrophic ordeal in my life.
The pain is sharp and raw, still.
I think of my son and the beautiful memories we shared. I miss him so much!
I cannot ''get over", "resolve" or "let go" of Nicholas.
N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S.
Nicholas,a teammate aggressive
In team colors,name on his head....
Center is where he'll hold'em dead.....
He'll outrun then turn possessive......
Of that ball,he'll become obsessive...
Light-hearted,any base will he steal....
All the side wish he weren't for real......
So cool and to him,so unimpressive........
This is Nick's favorite cousin,Jenny.
Who was doing the shouting? Was it Nick alone or Nick and people who chased him and killed him? What? Why?
Who?
The men at the cafe heard 'angry voices', 'shouting'by more
than one and by blended male and female voices. This was soon followed by a splash.
admiration,appreciation,and love.
You were so great for one another!
workers. He worked with and learned so much from Roger Lee "Buck"Wilhoite. We speak each of the names here with great respect,
Mr.Steve Brooks
Jim Parrish
Mike "Hock" Hockinsmith
David Lacey who served for Nicholas also as his
pall bearer
George Heady
Jerry
Jim McCarty
THERE ARE COUSINS SIM, SIMMY,AND SIMATHIA AND OF COURSE ''DADDY SIM''. WE GET IT UP THERE BUT THE LITTLE BUDDIES DIDN'T. SIMEON BEGAN SIGNING HIS NAME ''NIC''...
Senior Sim was accustomed to hearing himself
referred to as "Slim", "Sin", and "Sam" along with
many other combinations. It never ceases to amaze him at the lengths people will go to to find
a pronunciation for his name that makes more sense to them. This is a trait shared with Nick's grandmother whose given moniker is "Clyeda".
People who have known her all of their lives cannot
say or spell her name correctly. A favorite is to give it a little Spanish flavor with a "t"......C L I E T A, accent on the second sylabble. Nicholas must have considered all of this and decided he didn't want the daily hassle.
"Up there'' is the county of Laurel,hometown of Nick's daddy,Sim. Nick visited and later moved there for several years. The seat of government
is a lofty-named London,after the city in England
Laurel, likened to the laurel growing along the banks of the Laurel River and a good three hour drive south east of Frankfort, is in the Eastern Coal Field of the state. Located along Interstate 75 between the Daniel Boone and Cumberland Gap Parkways, London is sometimes called a Cross
roads till you get to the adventure. Most people have heard of it in reference to the original colonel Harland Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken Resturant.
Nicholas loved to go to the popular Chicken Festival in the summer.
The area is more in tune to nature,the hills and valleys,family,and a slower Southern drawl.
WE BECAME ALARMED THAT HE OUGHT TO SPELL CORRECTLY, AT LEAST. THE TEACHER IMMEDIATELY CAME TO BAT FOR HIM.........
A PHRASE WE WOULD HEAR QUITE OFTEN IN THE YEARS TO COME
THE MONTESSORI INSTRUCTOR SAID HE COULD SPELL HIS NAME ANY WAY HE LIKED. WE ALL CAN! HE COULD CALL HIMSELF WHAT HE WANTED. HE WAS ALLOWED TO WEAR HIS 'AWESOME DUDE' HATS. YEARS PASSED AND NIC
DID PICK UP THE ''K''.
How this deplorable atrocity could happen to our son in this hometown he loved and loved him is something we would never have reckoned upon as he grew up within a river's bend shadow of Paul Sawyer's comfortable perch high atop the river on Shadrick Ferry Road .All the areas of NICHOLAS MCCARTY'S death were the most gentle of his life.
From the Second Empire-Renaisance Post Office /Library to his beloved"Old Capitol",done in its Greek Revival ,Nick enjoyed every step and had made those steps many times in his life. He was very interested in Governor William Goebal who had been caught in a cross-fire there on the lawn of the (now) old Capitol . The governor was going to his office when ambushed. The man lived 4 days . The bullet that killed him could be seen in the tree for many years. I daresay school kids in
Kentucky have made him their most popular figure because of this mystique. Nick always wanted to go on up the hill to visit Gov. Goebal's grave at the Frankfort Cemetery after tracing the assassin's trail.
The rescue boat and the coroner were now behind the library . One glance in the direction of the river and the officials there left no doubt that something or someone had surfaced in the murky water.
The family and media had been told that a person was found but police had believed Nicholas had purposely disappeared. They had expected to ''catch'' him sneaking to an appointment he had had the previous Monday afternoon. They seemed to think he had gotten involved in something and decided he would chuck work and responsibilities to leave.town. They had staked out his work at Capital View Park---
the ''park by river's edge.-Nicholas was happily employed there and traveled these familiar paths every day of his life . The family
had enjoyed Frankfort,Kentuck'y's historic,interesting places . Our intellect told us this couldn't be happening but in our gut we knew it was all too real.
Deetective Wolf was told that Nicholas would not be surprising them with his presence. It was not pleasent to envision police hunkered down waiting when the family knew time was of the essence. We had never failed to tell each other where we were if we were going for short periods.
We now knew this situation was grave. Since Kentucky State Police had taken the case and told us Simeon had run away we actually held on to this hope.! He had now been gone 2 days. Work on Monday morning had come and gone,along with the Monday appointment . We prayed that he had run away and was somewhere., ANYWHERE, alive and well.
" WELCOME to FRANKFORT " says the sign at the edge of town. It is a reminder of one of Nick's jobs that brightened and improved his community. We will forever see him in the neat beautiful flowers and landscaped rows.
Nick groomed these fields and played ball
on them too. Frankfort's capitol is in the background.
This is Nick's place of employment
with the Frankfort Parks and Rec-
reation Department
Nick's dog,Hannah
Hannah is a gift to all who knew her
A quiet pet by a pensive stream..........
No animal was ever quite like her.......
Nor a Siberian Husky with her gleam.
A shard of gold from a lost dream
Heaven's now much more serene
May 2007.
''Nick on Mother's Day''
Mother's Day without you strains belief
In life,in love, and what it means to be ,
But there is beauty in my lonely grief.
Your death is a wound without relief
Pain on pain as far as I can see,
And so this day without you strains belief.
What is the point when a thief can
break into your heart so easily?
But there is beauty in my lonely grief.
You fell away from me ,my son,like a leaf
twisting down to darkness, leaving me
This day without you, chilling in disbelief.
Yet there is thrilling beauty in reliving
your burst of light,much too brief
Upon us so full and all-forgiving.
Your essence can all but the grief erase.
My love that is raw with hate encased
Save for the image of that cleft,dimpled face.
And the haunting thoughts of you to trace
MOTHER'S DAY holds sweet relief and an
awful noble grace.
Pedro Newall was a friend from Laurel County,Ky.
"If you see this PEGE, light a candle or leave a
note. If any of Nick's classmates are visiting, be sure to let us know!''
Nancy,Sim,Bradley
.
;'
Though life is not as it was before,
And never will be again,
Our memories are much richer
Than if love had never been.''
unknown
;
A child is the greatest gift
That our lives can bestow
It brings the most exquisite joy
That we will ever know.
NICK'S DIECAST
Nicholas: ''On Remembering Me!''
"When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are...It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again,you will know me and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart. For as long as you remember me,I am not entirely lost."
theologian Fred Buechner
Nicholas is beautiful .
''All who have been touched by beauty are touched by sorrow at its passing."
louise Cordana
Memory is a way of holding onto you,Nicholas, the things you and I are,and things about you I never want to lose.
''God must have realized that humans need to be connected with the past; so we were given memories.''
If tears could build a stairway,
And memories were a lane,
We would walk right up to heaven
To bring you home again.
No farewell words were spoken,
No time to say goodbye,
You were gone before we knew it,
And only God knows why.
Our hearts still ache in sadness,
And secret tears still flow.
What it meant to lose you --
No one can ever know.
But now we know you want us
To mourn for you no more.
To remember all the happy times,
Life still has much in store.
Since you'll never be forgotten,
We pledge to you today -
A hallowed place within our hearts
Is where you'll always be.
Author unknown
WE WERE SO HAPPY WITH THE LITTLE BOY WHO ARRIVED AND CAME HOME WITH US FROM THE HOSPITAL. HE WAS WELCOM
ED BY OLDER BROTHER JAMES BRADLEY AND BUFFY THE POODLE.
Kentucky-----------15th state to join the Union of the U.S.
The new baby's ancestors were always citizens of "Ole Ken-tah-ten, "the Iroquoion word meaning 'land of tomorrow'. The Commonwealth, formed in
1792 is nicknamed the ''Bluegrass'' state because bluegrass is present in most lawns and pastures. It's amazing how this looks from the sky. Kentucky's land has an eeriely deep blue hue .
Crossing statelines is as noticeable as 'can be' due to moving from a green landscape to seemingly laid out blue squares of deep lush.
Kentucky is located in the southern part of the United States included, geographically,sometimes in the Midwest.
''Bluegrass denotes not only the color of the grass but one of the seven regions into which the state is divided. Along with the regions the state is further divided into 120 counties; third behind Texas and Georgia in number of counties. Being the largest region, the Bluegrass also contains the 'seat of government', Frankfort, so named for an early pioneer, Stephen Frank, who was killed by attacking Indians at a ford in the river where Nicholas was found. The crossing was known as Frank's ford,thus we have the town situated on a double curve in the river,Population: 26,000. The capital is at the center of the Bluegrass in Franklin County, getting it's name after early incentor/politco, Benjamin Franklin.
The population is 48,000.
Franklin County likes to say it has something for everyone from the covered bridge at Switzer to the magnificent marbled beauty of its architecture in the old and new historic buildings. Sorry to say for our family and friends the area where Nicholas was found, the Kentucky River ,is noted for natural beauty. I will never see it that way again. But, of course we don't know how he got in the river or even how he got TO the river. The area is shallow along the banks causing a person to have to walk far out ,maneuvering past old refrigerators and tall weeds to get to a deeper part.
One of the state's beautiful parks is at river's edge,down the hill from the federal buildings;
providing the most scenic view of the river and is the quest of nature lovers from all over the world.
nature
