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Monday May 12,2008

'Son-shine On My Shoulders'

by Tammi Woolever

I was married at 19 years of age, and gave birth to my only child, my son Brandon at the age of 20 1/2. I am blessed. He is healthy, and perfect. Seven and one half years later my husband and I divorced, but continue to raise our son; I had the privilege of my son living with me. We did everything together i.e. sports, school, his musical instruments, singing, vacations, buying our first house, kids-in-college while I attended night college, business, cars, motorcycles, etc...Then one day Brandon decided to move in with his Dad 7 hours away from me. It hurt, and I grieved. I adjusted.

Four years later at Brandon's age of 19 1/2 I received a telephone call from his Dad explaining Brandon was out of danger, he'd had an unexplainable but serious car wreck; doctors couldn't believe he was alive, and 7 hours and two hospitals later, I arrived to his room, to care for him. He lived. He changed. He said he died that night, and saw Angels, and the Angels told him 'no' and sent him back to earth. He said 'all the pain in his body came back from his injuries, and he didn't want to come back... "t is peaceful there Mom." He climbed out of his seatbelt, out of the car window, upside down, bleeding and broken, but ALIVE.

I had the privilege to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas 2000 with my son, and his (my) bonus siblings and my husband. I also spent Mother's Day with him. He gave me 1 dozen red roses with a Snoopy card which reads "you're the only one I have Mom and I love you, Brandon".

We went to dinner and Brandon started telling me about this party where 'all the guys' were going to ride motorcycles on private property. My brother and I tried to talk Brandon out of going to the party; "but Mom - the party isn't for two weeks...don't worry, I know how to ride, remember we built and rode motorcycles together. I'll be fine." As we parted, I gave my son a soft kiss on the his left cheek and hugged him goodbye. Then....

...on Memorial Day 2001 Brandon died suddenly, tragically in a motorcycle crash at 10:44 p.m., just ten minutes after starting his ride, on a brand new crotch rocket motorcycle which he did not own. You know, young guys at a party showing off their 'rides', but what Brandon did not know was that this particular motorcycle had been ridden during that early evening by others, hours before Brandon arrived at the party; this ride was doomed!

I do ask, why did he ride this particular motorcycle, and why did this crash happen, when Brandon had just finished his first ride (the one he was excited about two weeks before) successfully, without incident 30 minutes before this ride?