I’m on the road again… I’m donw at the IBM Academy annual meeting in Austin. Once again it’s so good to be surrounded with this many good friends. At this point most of the folks here know about Sam’s passing. Many of them have helped us spread SamStones all over the planet. My friend Jai just told me today that he put a SamStone on Eva Peron’s grave.. and another in the IBM box at a large soccor stadium in Argentina. . (I also heard last week that our firend Rand and Julie cast a few Samstones in the foundation of their new clinic !)
Not too much to report down here yet.. The main part of the meeting starts tomorrow. As always, I’m trying to split my attention between being here.. and having my day job back at home.. I’m not doing the best job of either at this point.. but it is really good fun to be down here with all these good friends.
One back at home thing I just finisheed was our Halloween invitation. We’ve decided to have the pary as we do every year. Sam would have absolutely wanted it to be that way.. no question. We’re prinitng up a bunch of invitations .. but feel free to pass this one on as you see fit. Please come and party like Sam !
Sam was an exuberant boy with a 1000 watt smile. He loved his friends, family, dog, and bird deeply. Sam was passionate about guitar, snowboarding, lacrosse, and having fun. Yes, having fun was important to Sam.
Springtime meant lacrosse for Sam and a time to play hard with his buddies. Ultimate frisbee at the park were memorable times for Sam and he would come home with a big smile on his face and grass stains on his body. Summers you could find Sam floating down the rivers, swinging from a rope swing, biking, or just hanging with friends. A summer would be complete with time spent at Camp Abnaki and jamming at Burlington Rock Camp. Fall would be the season Sam would try and stretch summer out a little bit more until the snow started to come. That time was then spent at Bolton Valley Resort on his snowboard. He enjoyed ariel tricks and hitting the rails. Mostly he enjoyed just hanging with his friends and little brother Gabe.
Sam loved music and was always plugged into some song. Guitar was second nature to Sam. He could play “Asturias” on his classical guitar to heavy metal on his Gibson. He enjoyed playing bass and wailing on the drums. His favorite times were when he would jamming with one of his friends, or his big brother Max.
It is hard to capture Sam’s true spirit in a few paragraphs. He taught us so much. Mostly he taught us to have fun, ease up, and to be there for each other. He is a true best friend to many and deeply missed.
Sam was born on May 28, 1992. He was hit by a car on November 20, 2006 in Florida while visiting friends. His beautiful body stayed strong long enough for organ donation. He gave his heart, liver, kidney, and kidney-pancreas so that four others would live. His spirit continues on through them and surrounds us today. Sam lived his life to its fullest on this planet.
What a beautiful, beutiful boy… I miss you so much my son..
Gnite all.. gnite Sam..
-me