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03 May 2010 |
| Aundrea Stark: |
| My brother passed away 12/5/2009 from complications of his diabetes. It was sudden, He was just 40yo. I love and miss him so very much. He leaves behind a wife and 3 beautiful girls. I know he is with them always. I cry alone at times wishing he was here to give me that big strong hug so that nothings seems so bad anymore. |
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13 May 2009 |
| Alissa Magrum: |
| Hi Brian and Ellen-
Long time no talk. Hope you are all doing well. Over the last two days..the Wish List Jersey (and story) has crossed my path 3 times. Thinking that maybe it is time to reprint the jersey and get some more money raised for charity. Thank you for your beautiful creation- it keeps on giving--after we collaborated on this project 9 years ago! Amazing and still inspires me! Big hu |
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07 April 2009 |
| martha: |
| Brett, I will wish you were here every day for the rest of my life.
xo Mom |
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16 January 2009 |
| Fancheon: |
| I look forward to the daily eMail!!! You make my day...... |
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07 January 2009 |
| Carla: |
| I am going to Puerto Rico this Sat. to spread my father's ashes. We are having a family reunion in the a.m. and at sunset we are releasing him. There will be sun and light showers (60% chance), and long hard hills (mountains). And a thousand conversations. People will be laughing and crying and remembering him in the end.
I purchased this print for each of my sisters and after we release hi |
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21 December 2008 |
| crazylady: |
| I just lost my dog who was 11 yrs old. Not only was she a great friend, she was my walking partner. Now who will keep me company on my walks? Who will make sure I take them every day? This says it pretty perfectly... |
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20 November 2008 |
| Just me: |
| You're with me. I don't know if you know it, I don't know if I'm with you, but I take you everywhere I go. Some ties are just meant to be. |
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20 November 2008 |
| ...: |
| I wish you could have been there because if you had then maybe I could stay, now. but you're never here. |
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19 October 2008 |
| courtney: |
| for every event in my life, kelly---i want you there and wish you could've been there and wish you will be there---i don't want to miss another minute with you---C |
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19 October 2008 |
| Jenny: |
| I love this!! For all the someones in my life, I wish you all could have been there just because life is a ball!! |
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19 October 2008 |
| : |
| yesterday I attended a memorial service for a young man (19) who passed away suddenly last weekend... the whole thing was very heart breaking, and more than anything seeing the countless others who simply wished more than anything that he could have been there. i hope you're smiling in heaven, Jordan... |
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19 October 2008 |
| Tina: |
| Love the wish list......someday I hope to have someone with me instead of wishing...
Not sure what the pic is...can you tell me?
Love,
T |
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19 October 2008 |
| Christine: |
| I'm with you Sue. This resonates for me in the very same way because of a current relationship I'm navigating with similar pain and needed compassion. It is the living, those missing the journey while alive, that come to my mind and this story is a beautiful capturing of the hopes and wishes of those who look on. |
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19 October 2008 |
| Theresa: |
| I miss you Momma. It is a beautiful fall day and I wish you could be here today for my baby shower. You went back into light just month ago, but today it feels like an eternity.
I know you will somehow find a way to be present in spirit. You have your wings, after all ! |
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19 October 2008 |
| VickyInStLouis: |
| There are no coincidences, are there? How is it that this story ended up as the Story of the Day on the occasion of my dear mother's 70th birthday? We lost her in 2001 but not a day goes by that I don't miss her and, like the story, wish she could have been there. |
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19 October 2008 |
| sue: |
| I see that all the comments here are about dear ones who are departed from this life. Mine is about one who is still with us but unable to be present. As I make the final decision to leave my husband of 31 years, after struggling and suffering with the unhealed wounds of his war experience, this story speaks to my wish that he could have been there. I thought I had the power to make him whole, |
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19 October 2008 |
| erica cohen karlinsky: |
| My father passed away when I was 15. I am 44, and I am used to living without him. But every year, as I watch my children grow, I painfully realize how much he is missing. Is there anyone who doesn't want to scream this story from the rooftops? |
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19 October 2008 |
| Suzanne: |
| Wow. I'm also getting ready to do the Breast Cancer 3-day, but three years ago we lost our 5 year old granson. October 2005 was all about Glenn, as he had just started school and every single day holds a special memory. Everywhere I go, everything I do, I wish he could be there. |
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19 October 2008 |
| Linda Martus: |
| This is how I always feel...miss you, son...and it is hard. As the snow in falling out West I wonder if you snowboard in heaven. I must assume so, or I could grow to dislike the sport with a vengeance. |
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19 October 2008 |
| Sabine: |
| I have participated in the Breast Cancer 3-day walk several years in a row - this is a perfect story for anyone that has participated in the 60-mile walk and has lost someone very special to breast cancer. This would be a great story to advertise as such and donate a portion of proceeds to the Susan G Komen Fund! You could make it a poster and sell at the events that happen all across the country. |
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02 October 2008 |
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| This is for my best friend. I wish she could have been there for the tears and the laughter and the stories and the remembering. I wish she could have been there for the hundreds of people that filled her memorial service, standing room only. I wish she could have seen all of this earlier though, so she would have made another choice. I wish I didn't have to wish any of these things. |
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27 February 2008 |
| Susan: |
| Hmm - so many wishes for times not spent with someone who missed so much of my life - My husband, my children, my adult self. I (we) can only hope these wishes are seen by those we love. Good to know I am not alone at least in these longings. |
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27 January 2008 |
| Chana: |
| This print was given to me at my mom's memorial service. The story is a sublime way to remember someone who has died. With gratitude... |
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08 December 2007 |
| Maggie: |
| Dear Delores: You don't know me, but I am very sorry you died of breast cancer, and very sorry you died before I met you. I want to tell you that you raised a wonderful son...Full of humility, respect, kindness and a heart as wide as the ocean. Thank you for this wonderful gift. Thank you for sending such a wonderful man into the world. I will walk, run, hike and bike in every cause that sup |
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21 November 2007 |
| Janet: |
| This story speaks to me, as so many of your other stories do. But this one is sadly special to me. It works as a sculpture (at least in my opinion) better than the print version. This story is what I would say to my son, who died this past August at the age of 34. Thank you, Brian. |
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07 November 2007 |
| J: |
| GOBA. 3,000 people, 300 miles on a bike. Most rewarding and painful week of my life. I wish my sister would have gone with me. Alas, I'm 19 and carefree, she is 31 with a husband and child. Maybe someday... |
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19 May 2007 |
| dahlia brockway: |
| my grandpa and i have always lived very far away from eachother, he in nebraska and i in tennessee. so we wrote letters to eachother often, and it was something we really loved doing. when he died from cancer recently, the strangest feeling i had was that he would walk into the funeral and sit down with us to enjoy. he would've loved the service. i just wish he could be here. in the spirit of our |
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13 April 2007 |
| Jess: |
| M...
For all our efforts, we're never able to share each other's adventures. Someday. |
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04 April 2007 |
| Minna: |
| i've been going to the same sleep away camp my whole life and have gotten the privelage to be a camp counselor for 2 years...that place closed last summer and i've really shaped my life into what it is today because of that place and im just really sad children that could have benefited from my camp will not be able too...such a shame....so this story really touches the <3 |
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17 February 2007 |
| : |
| Mike - they drank Brady's out of beer at your repast.... I wish you could have been there. |
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08 January 2007 |
| Lauren: |
| I participated in the Breast Cancer 3 Day this past fall. This story embodies my every thought and feeling from the experience. |
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01 December 2006 |
| d: |
| Wow...truer words were never spoken. 1120 forever... |
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29 November 2006 |
| MARY: |
| A LONG TIME AGO, i EMAILED BACK TO YOU AND ASKED WHAT THESE SAYINGS MEANT AS SOME OF THEM WERE PRETTY UNEXLAINABLE. a YOUNG LADY TOLD ME TO KEEP READING THEM AND
EVENTUALLY THEY WILL APPLY. oH! HOW SO RIGHT SHE WAS. I FORWARD THEM FREQUENTLY the long road filled with voices, laughing and crying is especially meaningful and I am recouping from a heartattack |
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24 November 2006 |
| erica: |
| My father will never know my beautiful children, and oh the joy he would have had in that. It is the hardest part of him not being here. |
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23 November 2006 |
| Michele: |
| It's Thanksgiving Day, and I'm trying so hard to be thankful for what we had, but it is so hard. It's been almost a year since we have been alive together, and your son and I are still so lost. I wish you were here,watching the parade and cooking the turkey like last year.
I love and miss you so much....all your friends do too. Life will never be the same, and it breaks my heart. I wish you were |
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09 November 2006 |
| Debbie: |
| This is so true when you lose people you love. I've thought this everytime something significant happens to me. Mom & Dad you've missed so much. I wish you had found a reason to stay home that day... |
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08 November 2006 |
| Pat: |
| I just bought this print for my 16 year old daughter who last year made the hardest decision of her life when she chose to live with her dad a thousand miles away. I had never missed anything in her life and suddenly for that whole year I missed everything. Her 15th birthday, concerts, Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day. She's only 500 miles away now, but to me.... it's a lifetime. |
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19 September 2006 |
| Marie: |
| Mom, I think you understand where I'm coming from. Didn't spend as much time as I needed/wanted to with you - and oh how I regret it. You're in my heart. |
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11 August 2006 |
| Tisha: |
| Here I am sitting at work and the tears wont stop spilling from my eyes....I miss my mom!I miss that she has missed my life, my kids, my everything. |
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11 August 2006 |
| Christie: |
| perfect perfect perfect. |
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10 June 2006 |
| dodi: |
| This is a much better way of saying "longing". Besides longing is so over-used these days. |
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24 May 2006 |
| Linda Wright: |
| I loaned my book, Trusting Souls to a new found friend. I happened to have left small markers in the pages of some of my favorite stories. When he returned it, he had marked "Wish List". I know I'm falling in love with him and the feelings seem mutual. When I saw what he had marked, I interpreted as meaning he wished I had been in his life earlier. We are both over 50 so we have many years behind |
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22 May 2006 |
| Jason and Rick's Forever Mom: |
| When I first saw this print in 2000, right after Jason's death by suicide, I had to buy it. I physically could not leave the store without the print. I knew to my soul that it was important. I thought it was about Jason's death.
Two years later, in August 2002, I realized that I hadn't bought this for Jason. I'd bought it for his twin, Rick. Because, when he ended his life, he chose a re |
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15 May 2006 |
| Michele Amundsen: |
| This is the other print i bought last week. I bought it for my husband, for all we had, for all he'll miss. I picked it up in the store and began to cry....and yet, as always with your stories, it affirmed something so primal. I wish...i wish...but, mainly, always, that he was here with me. I'm so glad i found this site..i can't believe i didn't look for it before. Now i can smile and cry and be |
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22 April 2006 |
| Michael: |
| This is for my dad also. He died almost four years ago and part of my heart died with him. But I still will always love and rememember him. |
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13 October 2005 |
| Brenda Hays: |
| Thank you, thank you for providing such a beautiful way to aid those who lost so much in Katrina. I bought three - one for my daughter, my son and myself.
Hope your response is phenomenal! |
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10 October 2005 |
| ac: |
| this one's for my dad - he died two years ago and i wish so many times that he would have been here |
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16 June 2005 |
| Leslie: |
| My best friend Guillermo died 10 years ago, and I have said such things to him many times over these years. I will always miss him. This story speaks volumes to my own. |
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21 February 2005 |
| Kiera: |
| ...for corey and love strong enough to bring tears to my eyes depite the thousand miles in between. |
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27 January 2005 |
| Dani: |
| This story brings me to tears every time I read it. I was part of all 3 Texas Aids Rides and my life has changed in ways I never dreamed possible because of them. Riding for a cause is the most rewarding experience and I hope to never stop. I belive all things are possible and I have a choice to make every day as to how I want to live my life! Today I choose to wake up and make the best of everyt |
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18 January 2005 |
| Loralee Hettinger: |
| My daughter gave me this print because it reminded her of my cross country bicycle trip with WomenTours. I agree. It brings tears to my eyes--remembering. |
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26 December 2004 |
| Lisa: |
| may,
i miss our long talks and lunches and how we were before i made a mess of it all. i really hope you are happy and loved and always will be. |
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21 November 2004 |
| Erin: |
| Last summer I participated in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer, a 60 KM 2-day walk. This story describes my experience unbelievably. There were thousands walkers having thousands of conversations as we walked along the road, there was sun, lots of rain and long hard hills. People were crying, remembering, and celebrating when we accomplished our goals. But mostly, we walkied to support those |
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16 October 2004 |
| Frida Love: |
| Cranberry and Destiny this is for you....I know we're all having fun....but as always I wish it was together!....Three muskateers forever!LOVE YOU BOTH! |
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23 September 2004 |
| Tiffany: |
| For Sharon and Scott -- You have been there all along. |
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16 September 2004 |
| Debbie: |
| For Paul who I should have married 34 years ago! |
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15 September 2004 |
| Charlie: |
| i love to be there too |
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27 August 2004 |
| Pam: |
| My daughter gave me this story picture. It reminds me of my own mother who died when I was 22. I wish she could have been there for everything over the past thirty years - to meet her son-in-law, to love her grandchildren, etc. It is stated so simply and so beautifully. |
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01 August 2004 |
| Mona Baker: |
| My son, Michael, gave me this print last week when he received his Masters Degree, as a thank you for the support he received from his family. I immediately knew he was thinking of the Avon 3day breast cancer walk which my daughter and I (a breast cancer survivor) did in 1999. It was almost as though you had been on one of these walks. That experience was one of the highlights of my life and t |
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24 July 2004 |
| Jessica: |
| Reminds me of a classmate who committed suicide at just 16 years old. I hope he realizes that we all just wish he could have been here. |
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15 June 2004 |
| Susi: |
| I agree with the other post from Stacey...this story always reminds me of the Breast Cancer 3-Day walks that I have participated in year after year. It so accurately tells of the feeling of these walks, that it makes me wonder if Brian has done one! :) Thank you for your stories, they make me cry. Everytime we find a shop that sells them, my husband realizes that he'll have to find something to |
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11 November 2002 |
| Stacey: |
| I recently was able to walk in the very last Pallotta event. The Avon 3Day. A 60 mile walk to raise money for breast cancer. My best friend was supposed to walk with me, and was hurt less then 2 weeks before the walk. I missed her terribly, but as I looked at the line of over 4,000 people, I knew I was not alone. I'm sending her this one so she will know I thought of her every mile, and |
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16 August 2002 |
| sherry: |
| My husband and I are participating in a 26 mile walk to raise money for suicide prevention this weekend, August 18,2002. My dearest friend, Lareine committed suicide 6 years ago. I wish she could have been here. I will never stop missing her. |
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13 August 2002 |
| Dani: |
| This was made into a cycling jersey for the Texas Aids Ride and I have had so many people comment on it when I wear it. It says so much to so many and I am unable to recite it without tears streaming down my face. It always reminds me to not take for granted the life I have or the people around me. I wish this could be made into a T-Shirt. (ANYONE ELSE??) I have several of his prints. What |
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22 July 2002 |
| Bobbie: |
| Don't wait to give or get this until someone is gone. If you know someone who is suffering from depression, or aids, or cancer, or whatever, this might just be enough to change something. Say it now, not at a funeral. |
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12 June 2002 |
| Marie Eidson: |
| On June 2nd, 2002 my best friend was struck and killed by a hit in run driver while cycling. We both ordered the "Wish List" cycling jersey last year because it was so moving. Little did I know it would have special meaning for me. I came across the jersey several days after Carol was killed. I will wear it this weekend in memory of her while competing in a triathlon. Carol was also my |
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28 May 2002 |
| Evilh: |
| Wish List make it possible for me to go on. I see it, and I can get through another day. |
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26 November 2001 |
| stephy: |
| A friend gave me a print, _Wish List_ on Mother's Day. I have lost two brothers and countless friends to AIDS. Though I have been in support groups and had counseling for my losses, this is the first thing that has demonstrated to me that someone else understands the bottom line. It gives me hope. Thank you. |
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04 November 2001 |
| Adrienne: |
| Four years ago, I lost one of my dearest friends to suicide. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him- This print reminds me of how I wish he was here to experience this glorious event of 'life'. |
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26 July 2001 |
| Carol Evans: |
| Thank you. I first read these words as they went past me on a training ride for this year's Washington DC AIDS Ride. They were very motivating for me. I have now ordered the jersey and cannot wait to wear it with pride on next year's ride. This story captures the heart and soul of the AIDS Ride. It reminds us of all those who are not able to ride with us but we wish were there. I reminds us |
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30 May 2001 |
| Diana Houts: |
| You should have seen all of us who wore the "wish list jersey" on Day 7 of the Californis AIDS Ride last year. It was so moving as we rode our final leg into Los Angeles. I will wear the jersey again this year on the last day of the Ride, that begins in just a few days from now. I will also have a copy of it with me, taken from your book and laminated, on my bike next to the pictures of my |
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27 April 2001 |
| Jeffrey: |
| Last year, one of my best friend's in this world participated in the Twin Cities to Chicago AIDS ride- 500 miles of exceptional strength and courage that she did in part in honor of our friendship...This year we participate together in the NY Avon 3 DAY and i KNOW that afterwards i will not look at the world in the same way...SHE is the one who helps me realize this and to open my eyes to al |
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11 April 2001 |
| Jane: |
| I keep my favorite StoryStore pages in my work basket at the Senior Center where I work. Hoping someday to order up copies of all of my favorites-when the proverbial ship comes in. I have several on the wall framed at work-when the old people make me too crazy and things get out of hand, I read my wall and take a chill pill. I'm feeling low tonight. Trying to get out of here and quickly go |
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10 November 2000 |
| Gay: |
| Although my comment isn't a life and death situation, sometimes it feels like it is. This story reminds me of the time that has been lost over a misunderstanding. A friendship put on hold for over 20 years. How sad and what a loss. |
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11 October 2000 |
| Kathleen: |
| This exactly puts into words how I feel about our first baby who was born at 19 wks. I wish I'd had just a moment..... |
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28 September 2000 |
| CINDY: |
| My sister Alice died of breast cancer at the age of 36. I felt the need to do something, so I participated in the Avon 3Day Breast Cancer walk. It was the most grueling, awful, moving, wonderful thing I've ever been a part of. After the walk, my fiance bought me this print, and I couldn't help wondering, How did this artist know? It so completely captured my feelings on the days of the walk |
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17 September 2000 |
| Bridget: |
| I had a 20yr. old friend named Ricky Young, he had a heroin problem, that he thought he had fixed. A yearlater his life was coming together with a G.E.D. and good job, when it suddenly ended on an overdose, in the middle of a Sunday night. I wish I could stop the laughter and memories from fading, but I can't. Thank you for reminding me that his Spirit is with me always. |
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12 September 2000 |
| Debe: |
| ...for Bobby who lost his battle at 37 years old on July 20, 1996. he said, " i'm not going anywhere, and i plan on living another 10 years!" He planned on that right up to his last breath and he never subtracted one day! |
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25 August 2000 |
| Kristi Luecke: |
| I came upon your wonderful prints while on vacation in New Orleans this past April. It was supposed to be a glorious celebration of my 40th birthday. Our entire family was going, as well as many friends, well over 20 people. I had been looking forward to the trip as well as my 40th birthday for 5 years!! Then, tragically, our oldest son took his life on March 8. I cannot even begin to des |
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20 July 2000 |
| Barbara Scoggin: |
| I read this story for the first time at work. I sat at my desk and cried, then called my story people and ordered a print. It reminded me of the members of my family that had died within a three year period of time, my husband, my mom and dad, my mother and father in law, my brother and only sibling, and if that weren't enough, my two dogs and one cat. I was thankful that I came from a small |
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07 July 2000 |
| Kristina: |
| Brian has captured the spirit of the AIDSRides. This is our mantra. This is our WHY. As we read the same words, each of us sees a different face. Mine is gentle, with loving eyes and strong spirit. His name is Donald-David. I wish he could have been there. |
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21 June 2000 |
| Bev: |
| This story was read by "Butterfly Guy" at the Avon 3Day Walk for Breast Cancer. It will be included in my thank you card sent to all those who sponsored me. This card will also include the names of breast cancer victims I carried on the 60 mile walk from Kenosha to Chicago. Thank you. |
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20 June 2000 |
| Jennifer: |
| I lost my sister just over a year ago and when I came across this print in a gallery I broke down and cried on the spot. I took it home and it is now in the center of my photos of her on my wall. It just speaks for those of us who've lost loved ones. |
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