In Loving Memory of Tyler Warren: There is perhaps no pain that cuts as deeply to the heart as that of a parent prematurely losing a child.  My dear friend, Robbie Whitlock Warren, recently laid to rest her courageous and loving child, Tyler.  Tyler Warren was that rare breed of a man who put the needs and well-being of others selflessly before his own safety and needs and above those of his own, serving as a volunteer firefighter, heroically serving his community. He lived life with joy, love, and laughter…surrounded by his loving friends and family.  No words can offer comfort, but may God, in His tender mercy, wrap his family in loving arms and in the sure knowledge that they will all be reunited in the promise of eternal life.  God speed, Tyler.

sleep eternal, my son
the flesh is over;
wear as much earth as you wish now

let the flowers braid
themselves across your breast
let the bees bumble and
the morning birds babble
above your heroic bones

let the setting sun
kiss your marbled stone
with summer’s lips

let the southern winds
embrace you
like a mother’s arms

let the heavenly poems begin
though the poets surely weep
for your earthly voice has ended

let the memories flow as freely
as the rivers in which you bathed
as an innocent, carefree child

how can the earth be denied
the heavenly sustenance of you
which I have known and loved all these years

who am I to deny God his angel
or the ocean her song
your whispers remain upon His lips
your sighs upon their waves

pray the passing seasons
don’t stack themselves
too high one upon the other
as I await our sure reunion