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reminders of my son
Whenever I see anything at all, I see Sam.
whenever i see...
stars
lions
butterflies
flamingos
sad kids
a happy little boy
big brown eyes
tears
smiles
the sky
ADDICTION
the ocean
mountains
rainbow sparkles in the snow
waterfalls
heart stones
heart clouds
anything heart-shaped
rainbows
moose
wooden beads
trillium
soft little hands
marigolds
subarus
pills
bandanas
the color orchid
dogs
ice cream
sea shells
lax
hoops
baseball
hats
fishing rods
marshmallow fluff
meatloaf
Sarah
palm trees
spiders
big snakes
17, 22, 23
death
sunflowers
pumpkins
cous cous
dancing
herons
carhartt jackets
toy
cars
ineffective agencies
ABUSE
whenever i see anything at all, i see Sam.
whenever i hear...
singing
parakeets
robins
rivers
laughter
sobbing
screaming
waves
guitars
drums
jackson browne
paul simon
bob marley
james taylor
rain
fireworks
whenever i hear any sound at all, i hear Sam
whenever i smell...
peanut butter
hospitals
forests
ocean air
bait
dirty socks
sweat
grass
roses
vanilla
candles
pizza
lilacs
barbecues
leather chairs
new cars
after shave
wood smoke
coffee
old shoes
sun screen
chlorinated swimming pools
his room
whenever i smell anything at all, i smell Sam
whenever i feel...
joy
pain
sorrow
hopelessness
helplessness
love
hate
alone
anger
terror
loss
pride
courage
wounded
God
FEAR
whenever i feel anything at all, i feel Sam.
-Linda Namy
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I am writing to tell you about my son Calvin Barnes Dana. He died on March 6, 2012 of a drug overdose due to cocaine and methadone. He was 18 years old and young and wild and free. He was a beautiful kind and loving boy. He was busy with becoming an adult. He had gone away to college at Johnson and Wales University, but returned home to Vermont during his first semester.
He was 18 years old and young and wild and free. He was a beautiful kind and loving boy.
He was working at Killington Mountain as a snowmaker when he died. He loved the job and his friends there. He was very happy the day before he died he had posted on Facebook about the best day ever ripping up the trails snowmobiling. He was a very special person to me and all his family and friends that knew him.
He began smoking pot in high school and I was concerned. He would tell me to "Chillax Mom, everybody in Woodstock smokes pot." I did not ever condone his pot smoking. I know he was trying to find himself and it is so difficult to be 18 and to face the pressures of life.
He had a family that adored him and many friends. He was a good person who never hurt anybody. He lived in the moment and was a joy to have around.
My grief and sorrow is excruciating! It has been 27 months since he passed away in Bridgewater, Vermont. Not in a million years did I think that Calvin would die here in Vermont at such a young age. He was born and raised here and I thought it was such a wonderful and safe place to raise a family. He attended Pomfret elementary school K-6 and I can not say enough good things about that school that nurtured and held him emotionally and physically and gave him an excellent education. It was a safe place with extremely caring teachers and staff. I am so disgusted and angry with Woodstock Union High school because in my opinion they stick their heads in the sand about the enormous drug problem they have.
I attended the film The Hungry Heart when it was brought to Woodstock by the Ottaquechee Health Foundation, and they were so kind and made a dedication to honor Calvin that night. It was a great turnout of over 200 people. However, it was mostly adults that attended and I spoke with the film maker Bess O'Brien and she told me that she had offered to show the film to WUMS and WUHS and she had been told that there was no time in their schedule. I had hoped that the film could be shown at the school that Calvin graduated from in 2011. As the motto of the film says, if it could save one kid it would be worth it!
Thank you for your consideration and concern. Calvin is my inspiration to live in the moment and to not take anyone or anything for granted. He has taught me to appreciate and love all the unexpected wonders in life. I am so grateful that I had my son for 18 years.
He left here too soon.
-Dalene Washburn
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