| GOOD NEWS!
. . . Located after seven long years!
6/23/99 - Susan, our daughter, located David in Colorado. 7/6/99 - We spoke by phone to David and Tracey. Is this really happening? 8/20/99 - We reconnected with David and his future wife, Tracey, in Aurora, CO. 9/23/00 - David & Tracey become man and wife! (picture below)
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Let me tell you about our eldest son: We named our second child David ~ partly because of our love of the biblical story of "David & Goliath." David was our normal, fun-loving and sometimes provoking little boy. Seventeen months separated he and his "big" sister, Susan, and they were very good friends. She does not remember being without a brother. Yes, they quarreled at times, but only over the "big stuff." I vividly remember one cold, winter Sunday morning while living in New York state. We "slept in," which is a rare occurrence with children. After a few waking moments, I realized the children were unusually quiet and that I should check on them. Susan's room contained no sleeping daughter. Turning, I walked the few steps to David's door and through the crack, saw the two of them sitting on the floor quietly playing with building blocks. "Wait a minute!" I thought. "Susan's wearing David's blue sleeper. Her flannel nightgown lies in a pile on the floor. David is in his undershirt and diaper with bare arms, legs and feet. He appears happy enough, but the thermostat is somewhere around sixty-two and it's chilly!" Three-year-old Susan managed to get David, eighteen months, out of the crib and his sleeper. She donned the warm fuzzy garment and was cozy while her happy little brother sat covered with goose-bumps. It didn't seem to bother him - that was "small stuff." Curt came along eighteen months later -- a three year spread between the boys, abd our family was complete. There are so many memories of our years together as a family. Read on and see why I say, "I'd give anything to be picking up David's shoes these days." David was five when we moved back to Connecticut. He blended into his Kindergarten class and was a happy child. At the end of the school-year they recommended him for the "Transitional" first grade. We researched the benefits of giving him the extra time to mature and it made sense. He would go a full day, but with a reduced work load. Great!
Two weeks after his high school graduation, he went off to boot camp for the US Navy. They shipped him to California and he went to sea from there. Unpleasant experiences altered his ideas of a naval career and after periods of frustration, he "abandoned the ship."
David settled in California and continued his vocation as a cook. There were relationships with several females and then Alicia came into the picture. He was happier than he had been in years and we were happy for him. It took several years to learn much about Alicia. Too many miles separated us and he was "oblivious" of the telephone. Finally, pictures arrived and we suddenly realized Alicia and David were a couple with mixed nationalities and color. With love and prayers we handled that, although it was initially a foreign concept. In 1984, we visited David on our return from a twenty-fifth anniversary trip to Hawaii. We met Alicia, her sister and her mother. We visited Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Tea Garden, drove over the Golden Gate bridge, through Sausalito and around Mt. Tamalpias. While there were differences, our meeting was congenial and we were glad we had made a point to spend time there. June 1990, we flew to San Francisco for David and Alicia's wedding. A storm rerouted our flight, caused our late arrival, and we missed their small private ceremony. We finally connected later in the day and spent time together. Sadly, Alicia's illness was quite advanced due to complications from her Diabetes. She was painfully thin and extremely weak, so again, we were happy to be with them. In October of 1991, David's call came. Alicia was promoted to the Church Triumphant. David was a lost soul! They had been together for ten years -- married a short eighteen months. Following her funeral, David flew to Florida to spend time with us, but he was dazed, confused and angry. Beyond that, I'm not certain what else he was feeling. He found a job, changed to another, and found a used vehicle. Six months later, things seemed to have settled for him. Or so we thought!
At 4:30 AM on Good Friday, 1992, Curt, who was sharing the room with his brother, came running to our bedroom with news that David had "left!" It was a complete and utter shock! We had no arguments, although we had prevailed upon the boys (young men) to respect our right to a decent night's sleep, and if they came in late to please be quiet. We immediately contacted the local Sheriff's office, but because David was thirty, they deemed it a "domestic dispute" and would or could do nothing. We heard nothing from David, and later we were told that even if we filed a missing person's report, they carry little weight with adult children. As parents, we learned we had no rights to any private information regarding David. In July 1992, two-and-a-half-months later, the mailman delivered a parking ticket from Denver, Colorado. David was driving the car my husband had purchased, which was still in Mike's name, so we paid the sixteen dollar ticket and that is the last trace we have of our beloved David. I have searched via the Internet and have written letters to every name which is even close, with no replies. Friends have suggested we hire someone to find him, but since we have no idea where he is, our feeling is that he knows where we are and if he wanted to be in touch with us, he could - or he could contact his sister in New Jersey. But . . . we yearn to know that he is alive and well . . .
After much contemplation, I reluctantly posted this, on 1/30/98 -- jc |
Long ago we turned this prayer over to God and prayed daily that He, in His infinite wisdom would touch David. It was agony - but most especially when I sat down to review the facts, as I did here. I closed this chapter and patiently waited for news . . . and peace.
| Prayer: "Dear Lord, often I focus on how unfair things seem. But when I do that,
I get myself stuck in the past and can't focus on your power to change my life for the better.
When I read the Psalms, I see that your chosen king, David, had many bad circumstances and
endured times of great depression and self-doubt. Reading those Psalms would be painful except
that David always ends his complaint with the acknowledgement of your grace and power in his
life. I can learn a great deal from those painful pleas that came straight from a fallen man's
heart. Give me the courage to pray honestly to you, to pour out my heart no matter how painful
rather than trying to pray as if everything is all right. Keep me aware that no matter the trial
I face, you are always with me. You know the depth of my sorrow already and by speaking it I can
more readily draw on your support. Amen."
Taken from ~ www.sperience.com |
"David, the candle in our little hexagonal window Now, after locating David, the candle will remain lit
at the front of the house is lit for you.
It has been for years!"
for other families in the hope that they, too,
can reunite with their lost loved ones.
