xoxo,
Sylvette

I commonly search for anything to do with remembering my Brother, now that he is gone. On today’s spontaneous search, I found a link to your blog.

Thank you for such kind words. He was, indeed, a great guy.

Chris McNelis

I was returning from Williamsburg this afternoon, traffic slowed down on I-64 because of some thing on the side of the road. There in the tall grass of the summer was a mangled car and a man laying on his side with somebody trying to breath life back into him. My mind immediatly returned to I-66 exit 66 and how you were found that day in October.

The rescue squad had not arrived yet and in that part of New Kent County, where lives depend on volunteers, only the people trying to keep him alive were there. I was listening to the Shack on disk and about the wonders of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I said a prayer for this man, because his fate is truly in God’s hands.

I thank God and Jesus everyday for keeping you alive. I pray that this man also gets to see another day, and I thank God that it was not me or one of my loved ones. We go but by the Grace of God.

I love you son, God Bless,

Dad

The “Life Goes On” 5K

I wanted to thank you for starting this blog for Sonny. I have not met very many people in my life that have affected me as much as Sonny has. He had a magnetism about him and such a good heart. For me, by biggest regret, was not being able to see him before the end. When I read your blog regarding the 1/2 hour you were able to spend with him, it reduced me to tears. When I heard he was sick, I made arrangements to visit him today, August 9th. This was the first opportunity I had to get away, and then last Sunday, I received the call from his daughter Michelle, that he had passed away. For me, it was most difficult because Sonny and I had been trying to meet up again with our wives in Atlantic City, but each time either of us were available, the other was not. On that note, the Sunday phone call was horrible for me because I feel as if I failed a friend in need. However, I must say after viewing the “Irish Blessing” that you posted, it lifted some of the guilt and pain off my shoulders, especially based on the way you described how he presented it to you. When I watched it, I felt that it was Sonny’s way of telling all his friends and family how much he appreciated us and wants for all of us not to live in misery, or live large, but just that we are happy with whatever we got in life. Having said that, I am so happy for having the privilege to know Sonny. He made life brighter for my wife and I during a time when there was much turmoil around us. We met Sonny & Trish on our first wedding anniversary in 2001, when they were celebrating their 25th. My wife and I had been dealing with her benevolent ex-husband who was doing everything in his power to harass us. On the weekend of our anniversary, we decided to break away and try to put some distance between ourselves and the drama and try to have a good time when our circumstances made it near impossible. We headed off to the Tropicana in AC for the night. By chance, we ended up at the same Roulette table as Sonny & Trish. When we started playing, Sonny and I ended up falling into a half hour conversation before we even introduced ourselves to each other. That was the kind of guy Sonny was, he welcomed anyone into his world and made you feel good. And that night, he helped my wife and I forget our troubles and our anniversary weekend ended up being a wonderful time. We kept in touch ever since. I always said to my wife that I wished Sonny & Trish lived near us. They were the kind of couple that you would love to able to get together with for dinner once a month, or have drop by your house unannounced. You do not meet many people like that. In closing, I want to thank you again for posting your blog and the “Irish Blessing”. I still feel as if I failed Sonny by not seeing him before the end, but hearing about your last meeting with him gave me comfort and a possible idea of what my last meeting with Sonny could have been like had I reached him in time. If you are ever in the New York/New Jersey area, please look me up. Any friend of Sonny’s is a friend of mine.

Sincerely,

Chris Cialone
Fairfield, NJ

Did you happen to see the service the Youth Pastor Kevin did out at MAG two weeks ago? My parents were there for that one and said it was a very good sermon. My mom read the letter you posted on here to Pastor Scott and was very moved. She mentioned the service Kevin did and said you both had a lot in common. Let me know…

Hello Rosners,
I am so touched by your story, your strength and your healing! You are all in my thoughts and prayers and I affirm healing and peace for each of you.
Take good care,
Dee (Andrea) Wiitala