My sister in law asked the kids and i what we all thought would be Daniel's favorite part of the family dinner. We all answered "the stuffing". Next to the very obvious traditional "Thanksgivin'er" celebration with his friends on a weekend such as this, stuffing was his favorite part of Thanksgiving.
I have to tell you that Daniel was the most thankful person I have ever known. Even when he was a little boy, he made sure to always thank people, and God for his many blessings. The other day I found a letter to Santa that he wrote. My guess is that he was about 7 years old when he wrote it. It was on a little piece of paper scrawled in his little boys writing...this is what it said...
Dear Santa,
I hope you have a marry Xmas
I have a little treat for you on this plate.
It is chocolate
Thank you for visiting the Thur home
Love Daniel
He was really just so happy to be giving and thankful. :( my little boy.
In the same box I found an even smaller piece of paper with a note on it written to the maids at a hotel they were staying at in Edmonton when he went with Ms. Davis and her grade 8's. (a trip, by the way, that literally changed the direction of his life. So inspired by the people he met there...) I wish there was a way that you could all see how he wrote it (in not much better handwriting than when he was 7) This is what it said.....
Dear Maid (s)
Consider this a very small ($5)
Thank you for your hard work
to make our band's trip great.
I know it's not much, but please accept
it as my thanks. Your work is truly appreciated.
-Daniel J. Levesque
The maid(s) even wrote him a note on the back telling him how sweet he is. Imagine how that lady's heart was warmed when she read this little note? I just think it was so sweet of him to even keep it. He kept so many things that he considered important, and they all tell such a beautiful story of the beautiful soul whom I miss more every single day.
On a single piece of paper from the Cooper's meat department, he thanked God for his blessings
You have blessed me with many gifts, my Lord,
But I know it is my task to realize them.
May I never underestimate my potential.
May I never lose hope.
May I find the strength to strive for better,
the courage to be different,
and the energy to give all that I have.
Who writes this at work on his break? My son, the blessed boy. He knew he was something special. He was thankful and kind. And he made sure we all knew it. He lived by his word. He was, in a lot of ways, a good example. He valued his family, his friends, his music, his life. He wanted to be great, and always remembered where he came from.
So now, I guess it's my turn to be thankful..... I am thankful for the 20 years I had with my son. Thankful that he loved me despite my flaws. He showed me love when I needed it, he wiped my tears. He built me up when my heart was broken, and he made me feel like I was beautiful and the best mum in the whole world (even though I fell short of that on many occasions) He thanked me over and over after he left home, for making him who he was, for giving him rules and instilling virtue in his life. He was thankful that he was born. And despite how this has all turned out....I will still always feel like I was the blessed one, to have
Daniel Jordan Levesque as my first born son, my beautiful baby boy.
Thank you Daniel, for your life and your love. I miss you more than words can ever explain. xo
