Charlotte's Birthday

On July 9, 2005 at 1:05 PM, Charlotte Jennie Reynolds was born.


She was an amazing child.

Today she would be 5 years old.

We miss her every day. We know that her friends and family miss her too.


We are comforted by the legacy that CJ's Thumbs Up Foundation is creating in her honor.

On the anniversary of her birth, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your unending support during the past 18 months. We continue to need your emotional support in our time of grief and we appreciate the many ways in which our community (our Network, as we fondly like to call it) holds us up.


Some of you have mentioned giving donations to CJSTUF in honor of Charlotte's birthday. That is a wonderful idea. I do understand that our Pay Pal donate button on the website is currently disabled. We are working to fix that and I will let you know when it is active again. In the meantime, donations can also be sent to: PO Box 854, Ashland, VA 23005


You can also support us by spreading the word about our foundation. Invite your friends to find out about us on Facebook. Share our video (also posted on our website) so that others can find out about our mission. Finally, we have launched an offical volunteer database on our website. If you want to help our organization, please take the time to fill out this small form so that we can add your name to our database. When a need arises, we will use this list to rally the troops.

Roger and I plan to spend the afternoon with some close friends and family, eating some of her favorite foods and watching a few of her favorite movies. While it won't be a "party" per se, it's a opportunity to celebrate her short life and take comfort in the things that brought her joy.

In closing, I want to share the Shel Silverstein poem I read at CJ's Memorial Service. This is for my beautiful daughter, born in the height of summer, who loved Frosty The Snowman.

Perhaps we can think "cool" thoughts in the middle of our summer heat:

Twas the first day of springtime
And the snowman stood alone
As the winter snows were melting
And the pine trees seemed to groan
“Ah you poor sad smiling snowman,
You’ll be melting by and by.”
Said the snowman, “What a pity,
For I’d like to see July.
Yes I’d like to see July, and please don’t ask me why.
But I’d like to, yes, I’d like to, oh I’d like to see July.”
Chirped a robin, just arriving
“Seasons come and seasons go,
And the greatest ice must crumble
When it’s a flower’s time to grow.
And as one thing is beginning
So another thing must die,
And there’s never been a snowman
Who has ever seen July.
No they never see July, no matter how they try.
No they never ever, never ever, never see July.”
But the snowman sniffled his carrot nose
And said, “At least I’ll try.”
And he bravely smiled his frosty smile
And blinked his coal black eye.
And there he stood and faced the sun
A blazin’ from the sky--
And I really cannot tell you
If he ever saw July.
Did he ever see July? You can guess as well as I
If he ever, if he never, if he ever saw July