Wednesday of this week marked the 3 year anniversary of the death of Mr. Shaun Wild. For those that have never heard my story, when my 10 year old son was in 2nd grade his 24 year old 1st year teacher was murdered in an effort to save his friends life. Shaun was the best teacher any of my 4 boys ever had and held a special place in my son Danny’s heart. He even came to watch Danny’s hockey game 2 weeks before he died and was going to start being a pen pal to him, to encourage him to have fun with writing.
When we heard the news, my whole family’s world was rocked. I couldn’t eat or sleep for days. I only met Shaun 3 times in my life, but there was something that left me heartbroken. Whenever there were tragic events such as 9/11 I couldn’t understand how someone could have such passion for an event when they didn’t really know the people involved. I totally understand that feeling now, as I experienced it myself.
I didn’t know why God would take away such an amazing man, but also know that God also has a plan and that he must have some bigger plans as a result of this tragedy. His death brought life to me and made me want to be a better person. It gave me the courage and determination to go make a difference in the world. This was a turning point when I began sharing my passion and love of health and wellness with others.
I believe that everything in life happens for a reason and there are no accidents. On the anniversary of his death, I was teaching a pilot class for one of my new program offerings and as we were tuning into our body to see how we felt, I just couldn’t help but feel this overwhelming presence of Shaun. It was both happy and sad at the same time. I always find myself teary eyed when I think of him and continue to keep in touch with his mom as a way to stay connected.
I will continue to share his story and spread his legacy throughout my life journey. I can’t begin to imagine the heartbreak of his close family and friends at this time every year and my heart goes out to them. I feel blessed that I was able to be a part of his life and that my spirit and soul continues to feel this connection to him.
It’s time like these that make me really stop and think about the important things in life and to make every moment count, as we never know what tomorrow might bring. Blessings to all.