Howard's Donation

Yesterday was a terribly sad day and at the same time an amazingly special day. One that I will neither forget or see the like of again. Yesterday was Howard's funeral. From the police guard of honour, to the crowded church, to the moving eulogies, to the helicopter hovering overhead tipping it's nose towards the funeral cortege as they left, to the police outriders escort, it was quite simply the most incredible of goodbyes.

In the three months since Adam's Appeal was launched our local community has come together in a way I could never have foreseen. Without fear of contradiction I can say there was no bigger person in that local community than Howard. He was just there. Always. A part of everything. And now he's not going to be there any more. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Howard's family and what they are going through. I wonder how this could be happening; there is simply no way to make any sense of it. In all the time Adam has been ill I have never really wondered why. But these last three weeks since Howard's death I have asked that question many many times. It is a question to which there is no answer.

These events remind us that we can never be sure what the future holds. As much as I write on here about Adam's uncertain future there really is no such thing as a certain one. Good or bad, what will be has yet to be written into our consciousness and whilst we can plan for tomorrow we must live for today.

Howard would have made his contribution to Adam's Appeal had fate not robbed him of the chance to do so. It was Giselle's wish that Howard was given the opportunity to help Adam. It was what Howard would have wanted. And so, instead of flowers, donations in Howard's memory were made to Adam's Appeal. It will be with the heaviest of hearts that we will receive this donation - Howard's donation.

[For those of you reading this who don't know, Howard Jackson passed away suddenly at the beginning of June. He leaves behind a wife, Giselle and two sons who both attend Wallace Fields School with Adam's brother and sister.]