God gave Dave and Robbi one son. That’s all. Just one. One child to raise, one child to love. One perfect Sam.

Well, nobody is perfect but some come pretty darn close – count Sammy in that group.

Dave and Robbi are friends of ours. Dave and my husband go back to high school days, we’re all in our sixties now so that’s a long time ago. We got married young and had kids right away. Dave and Robbi met a good few years after we did and the good Lord took awhile to create a baby for Dave and Robbi.

Sam was worth waiting for.

Because of the ten years + age difference between our kid we never hung out as families. Mostly it was a guys friendship with occasional couple dates. That’s why I never really got to know Sammy until his Bar Mitzvah when he turned thirteen.

Sam was confident and read beautifully from the Torah. He led the prayer service like a pro. However, when it came time for him to read his Bar Mitzvah speech – he broke down and cried.

We all watched with a hundred hearts silently urging him on. Believe me, we were in a House of Prayer and every single one of us in that sanctuary was praying for Sam to regain his composure.

But Sam surprised us. When he didn’t stop crying after the first excruciating sixty seconds it became obvious that were not witnessing a breakdown rather, we were watching his breakthrough.

He was overwhelmed by joy. That’s the only way I can describe it. He was taking in the sacred and reacting to the power of his faith and its traditions.

How could a young teenager be that self-aware? His sensitivity was on display for all to see and it left an indelible mark. I have been to many Bnai Mitzvahs since. Not a single one has even come close to replicating the spiritual lesson I learned from Sam.

Our God is an awesome God.

Sam grew up and his light never dimmed. People gathered around him, loving him, laughing with him, feeling supported by him.

I think it was a Tuesday when my husband got a call from Dave.

“Sam is in the hospital...READ MORE