Children... Dedicated to Bereaved Parents Everywhere.

by Deb Kosmer

Children aren't supposed to die.

Certainly not before their parents.

Not before their grandparents

Not before the 93-year-old lady down the street

But they do.

And hearts are broken

Lives forever changed

Families shattered.

Dreams and hopes stolen.

The death of a child robs its parents of

That which they love most.

It comes uninvited and sometimes unannounced

Leaving behind confusion, sadness,

and gut wrenching pain.

It shatters any once-held illusions

Of goodness and fairness

And being able to protect those we love.

And leaves us feeling as though we have failed

And angry that it should've been us, not them.

It leaves us with questions without answers and

friends and family who don't know what to say

And with us feeling so alone

Struggling to find a reason to stay.

In Memory of her son, Shawn Jeremy Schmitz

Oshkosh WI 54904