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Welcome to the family and friends, classmates and teachers,
and all who knew and, of course, loved Sam.
It is good that we come together at this moment of tragedy and sadness,
to grieve, to comfort one another, and to honor the memory of Sam.
We come together, eyes full of tears, heads racing with questions,
hearts heavy with sadness.
But we come together as one, we come together in love.
Some of us come here as lifelong friends, as family,
and some to meet for the very first time.
We come because we knew Sam, and once you know Sam,
you can never forget him.

But we come together following what was the very definition of tragedy.
And yet although Sam’s last few moments with us were surely horrible and painful, Sam is no longer experiencing that horror, Sam is no longer in pain.
Sam is at peace.
And Sam’s spirit is with us and can always be with us,
if we choose to allow it to, if we choose to remember him, and if we choose to let his spirit inspire us.
This is what I choose to do.

I was blessed with the privilege of being Sam’s teacher in the French Immersion program during his last two years in Elementary School.
When I think of him, the first two things that come to mind
are smile and laughter.
A huge smile of a happy child that could not help but make you smile.
And laughter…
Sam found humor everywhere and laughed as often as he could.
And of course you laughed with him.
As the mother of one of Sam’s classmates said,
Sam could make cement laugh.
Sam the man, as I called him, was a smart man.
He would show his intelligence in his awareness of the world around him, and in the questions that he constantly asked.
Sam always wanted to know more. I told him he would make a great
reporter, because he always had a follow-up question.
He would also use his curiosity and intelligence to see if he could get me off task and make me laugh.
Many times it would work.
And other times I had to be stern with him… but was often laughing on the inside. Sam, a good child, a smart child, a happy child.

This is how I remember him now and always will. I choose to allow the spirit of this child, who lived fully each moment, inspire me to do the same.
There are different things we can choose to do following this terrible loss.
We can choose to pray to become persons of greater faith.
We can choose to better appreciate the lives of those around us. We can choose live each day as though it is our last.
We can choose to take nothing for granted.
But as for me, there is something I will not choose to do.
I was reminded of this as I was at church this morning seeking comfort and counsel.
There in my pastor’s office was a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr., and I was reminded of his words, when he said,
Never let anyone or anything ever pull you low enough to hate.
In spite of this horrible event, I choose not to hate.
Sam loved and lived for his Mother, and the mother I knew and worked with on many occasions, loved and lived for Sam.
We don’t understand how this could have happened, what could have brought this on, and we may never know.
But I choose to honor Sam’s spirit and not to hate.
Because I believe we are always called to love, and I know that Sam, as well, would want us to love.

So as we are gathered here, let the lights of our candles,
reflect the light of life and laughter and love and joy of Sam.
Let us remember him, celebrate his life, and allow his spirit to remain with us forever.
I would like to now conclude by sharing a poem I wrote about and to Sam the Man.

Sam the man, your laughter contagious, your smile so wide…
Sam who ate up fun, stories and jokes, with more fun on the side…
Sam, who always had a question, no, make that two…
Sam, with always an opinion, to share with me and you...
You could quote the Bible; share what’s in the news.
You lived each moment fully and laughed away the blues.
Sam the ball player, Sam the student, Sam the friend…
Sam of big lunches, bigger heart, and joy without end…
Love you, we always will. Forget you, we never can.
We will always have your spirit. You will always be the man.
Blessed we always will be, by the soul we know as Sam.
La force est avec toi. Pour toujours, nous, on t’aime.