Zachary "Moose" Triplett

My mother made an amazing quilt out of Zack's favorite t-shirts -- it is wonderful, and it is a daily reminder of Zack's crazywacky sense of humor.  I know Zack loves the quilt, too, because if you look at the photo of it, you can see he decided to be in the photo with it.  Orbs, some say, are the appearance of souls captured on film.  I had taken a photo of Jada with the quilt moments before the one with the orb, and nothing was there..  I don't know if it is really Zack or not, but I like to think it is!  What do you think?

close- up of orb:

Christmas Eve Orb with Ben:

Close up of Ben's Orb:

I think it's cool that the orbs have a circle of white and a circle of purple -- I'll post more pictures as I come across them!

A few weeks after Zack died, I was given the book Our Children Forever: George Anderson's Message From Children on the Other Side which profoundly helped me in thinking about Zack in heaven, and the signs I felt he was sending me. I went on a big "afterlife" reading kick for several months, but it was Anderson's book that rang most true to me. Last month I found another book George Anderson's Lessons from the Light: Extraordinary Messages of Comfort and Hope from the Other Side that is just amazing. I know this type of book is not for everyone, and the mere mention of a "medium" makes some people uncomfortable, but for those of you interested or curious, this book really, really is wonderful. Here is an exerpt from it's section on children -- he says that these are the most common messages sent to parents from children who have died.

“Parents – while you are mourning the loss of our physical bodies on earth, we have never left your side. We will be your ‘guardian angels’ and take care of you as you took care of us. It is okay to talk to us out loud and continue to count us with the rest of the children you have on the earth. Thank you for the memorials and good things done in our names, but please remember that we are not saints, icons or monuments. Our rooms or personal possessions are not shrines, nor will leaving the home we lived in make us disappear. You will always be our parents, both here and hereafter. As long as you love us, we live on in your heart, and time, location or moving on with your life will not change this. The memory of my life will not be lessened by having more children or remarrying. As I have finished my lesson on the earth and graduated to the hereafter, so, too, will you, and we will be together. Have the best life you can have until we see each other again.”

Don't Tell Me...

Don't Tell Me That You Understand,
Don't Tell Me That You Know,
Don't Tell Me That I will Survive,
Or How I'll Surely Grow.

Don't Tell Me That This Is Just A Test,
That I Am Truly Blessed,
That I Am Chosen For This Task,
Apart From All The Rest.

Don't Come At With Me With Answers, 
That Can Only Come From Me,
Don't Tell ME How My Grief Will Pass,
That I will Soon Be Free.

Don't Stand In Pious Judgement,
Of The Bounds I must Untie,
Don't Tell Me How To Suffer,
Don't Tell Me How To Cry.

My Life Is Filled With Selfishness,
My Pain Is All I See,
But, I Need You Now,
I Need Your Love Unconditionally.

Accept Me In My Ups and Downs,
I need Someone To Share,
Just Hold My Hand And Let Me Cry,
And Say "My Friend I Care."


AUTHOR: Joanetta Hendel

The following is a quote from "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was read at Zack's memorial service, and I thought you might like it as well. It's a dialogue between the little prince and the pilot.

"People have stars, but they aren't the same. For travelers, the stars are guides. For other people, they're nothing but tiny lights. And for still others, for scholars, they're problems. For my businessman, they were gold. But all those stars are silent stars. You, though, you'll have stars like nobody else."

"What do you mean?"

"When you look up at the sky at night, since I'll be living on one of them, since I'll be laughing on one of them, for you, it'll be as if all the stars are laughing. You'll have stars that can laugh!"

And he laughed again.

"And when you're consoled (everyone is eventually consoled), you'll be glad you've known me. You'll always be my friend. You'll feel like laughing with me. And you'll open your windows sometimes just for the fun of it... And your friends will be amazed to see you laughing while you're looking up at the sky. Then you'll tell them, 'Yes, it's the stars. They always make me laugh!"

So tonight, when you look at the stars -- if you listen, closely, perhaps you'll hear Zack's laughter amongst them...

From Elisabeth Kubler-Ross -- who worked extensively with terminally ill patients and those who experienced death and were brought back --

It helps me to believe this...

Those who were brought back to life say --

1. They are no longer afraid of death.
2. Death is only the shedding of a physical body, no different from taking off a suit of clothes one no longer needs.
3. They remember having a profound feeling of wholeness in death, feeling connected to everthing and everyone, and experiencing no sense of loss
4. They were never alone, that someone was with them.

It gives me comfort to read this. That death is just a part of the journey -- my beautiful son, Zack, is connected with all of us in spirit -- that he is not alone, and was not alone in that initial entrance into the afterlife.

I get so ANGRY sometimes, and upset, and oh how I rage...

after I calm down, find a little bit of peace tucked in the corner of my heart, I think on what an amazing adventure Zack is on...one that I will join him on who knows when. That while I struggle for peace, he is one with peace. While it doesn't make me happy, and d*amnnit I'd rather he was here, I can at least feel some sense of calm.

I couldn't have felt that calm just a few months ago. It is slow in coming, but I find it from time to time. I have to hold on to it to continue on this earth.

I miss him so much. my precious son.

 
On my calendar for today is the following quote "Underneath the winter a seed filled with beauty begins its journey up throught the earth to become another miracle"

Maybe, just maybe, Zack's will lead us to discoveries about ourselves -- inspire us to help others, make a difference in lives just as our children made a difference in ours... I am at a point in my grief journey where I have to find positives in this world, redirect my negative thoughts (which overwhelm me, overtake me) into action, movement forward -- doing what is best for myself, which then becomes the best for my family, my community.

The anger swells and subsides. I can't let it overtake me.

Thank you for your encouragement, my friends. I'm holding your hands tightly.

by Nicholas Wolterstorf

There's a hole in the world now. 

In the place where he was, there's now just nothing. 

A center, like no other, of memory and hope and knowledge and affection

which once inhabited the earth

is gone.

Only a gap remains. 

A perspective on this world, unique in this world,

which once moved about within this world,

has been rubbed out.

Only a void is left. 

There's nobody now who saw just what he saw,

 knows what he knew, remembers what he remembered,

loves what he loved. 

A person, an irreplaceable person is gone. 

Never again will  anyone apprehend the world quite the way he did. 

Never again will anyone inhabit the world the way he did. 

Questions  I have can never now get answers. 

The world is emptier. 

My son is gone. 

Only a hole remains, a void, a gap,

never to be filled.

Many of you have great memories of Zack -- if you'd like to post them on this site, don't hesitate to send them our way.  If you have a poem or a photo, send them as well.  This site is for all of us to share.  Email us at travisandtrina@sbcglobal.net or sign our guestbook.

Sing like no one can hear you. 

Love like you've never been hurt. 

Dance like no one is watching.

Seven Dollar Pretzel  and  Seven Dollar Pretzel II -- Zack's band websites...created by him!

Moose's Live Journal -- Zack's blog that he had just started.  Warning: profane language and 8th grade humor abound!  

Houston Chronicle obituary

Greenday -- One of Zack's favorite bands

Moose Stuff -- Just some cool moosey things that you might like to order 

Melissa Veale created the wonderful powerpoint that was shown at Zack's memorial service.  Her website is http://www.spiderflyweb.com/index.htm

Zack painted this cross at Confirmation camp last summer. He was just begining

his exploration of faith and understanging of what it means to be a Lutheran.

Our thanks to Sherri Patrizi, who photographed the original oil painting for us.

Here's Rick!

Do not stand At my grave and weep /I am not there I do not sleep /I am a thousand Winds that blow /I am the Diamond glints on the snow /I am the Sunlight On the ripened Grain /I am the Gentle autumn's Rain /When you awaken In the morning hush /I am the swift Uplifting rush /Of quiet birds In circled flight/ I am the Soft stars that Shine at night /Do not stand At my grave And cry /I am not there /I did not die -Hopi Indian prayer

Now that I'm gone,
remember me with a smile and laughter.
And if you need to cry,
cry with your brother or sister
who walks in grief beside you.

And when you need me,
put your arms around anyone
and give to them
what you need to give to me.

I first heard the song "Michael" a few months after Zack died.  It perfectly captures how I feel.  Our Zack is invincible, and he lives on within us. 

Driving down a dark road
on the last night of his life
Michael's in the back seat
Thinking everything's alright
He was young, and so invincible

The radio was blasting
in the car he got from dad
tail lights in the distance
are the last of him I have
and it's all so inconceivable

When they told me you were gone
I hated god for what he'd done
I'm trying hard to understand
And I know I shouldn't want this to
be someone else instead of you
I thought you were so invincible

Four o' clock in the morning
Before the break of dawn
Michael left forever
from the town where he was born
and I woke up crying, cause I knew you were gone

And it hurts to miss you everyday
this feeling never goes away
I'm trying hard to understand
and I drive the streets that you lived on
I can't forget your favorite song
I thought you were so invincible

I want to change the way the story goes
why can't it have a happy ending?

Driving down a dark road
on an endless summer's night
Michael's in the back seat
and he makes it home alright

And at night he whispers in my ear
I hear his voice so loud and clear
He tries to help me understand
that he'll always be right by my side
a part of him will never die
that's what makes him so invincible