September is the month I have chosen to reflect on Mattie J.T.Stepanek. "He was 13 years old and was the youngest of four children, each born with a life-threatening neuromuscular disease.....not diagnosed until all four of the children were born. Mattie never knew his two oldest siblings....but was very close to his brother, Jamie, who died when they were both preschoolers." He began writing poetry when he was 3 years old. Mattie is a boy that gained the national attention of people like Oprah Winfrey and Larry King.He died in June, 2004 having written thousands of poems he called Heartsongs. He left no subject untouched...."disability, despair, and death"..."nature, prayer, peace, and his belief in something "bigger and better than the here and now' ." Mattie has touched my heart in the interviews I saw and through the four books I am honored to own. The hope this one soul shared is beyond words. This month let's revisit Mattie...".'a poet, a peacemaker, and a philosopher who played' .""Memories are a gift of the past,
That we hold in the present,
To create what can be a great future.
Treasure and keep memories,
For the sake of Life."
Exerpt from "About Memories" by Mattie J.T. Stepanek in Celebrate Through Heartsongs Age 12