The Mother Gave, In Tears And Pain...

Claire Tatom
June 15, 1998 - July 4, 2005

"My Lord has need of these flowerets gay,"
The Reaper said, and smiled;
"Dear tokens of the earth are they,
Where he was once a child."

"They shall all bloom in fields of light,
Transplanted by my care,
And saints, upon their garments white,
These sacred blossoms wear."

And the mother gave, in tears and pain,
The flowers she most did love;
She knew she should find them all again
In the fields of light above.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow -

• Child's cancer sharpens family's understanding of gratitude
• Claire Tatom, 7, battled brain cancer
• Fortville mourns girl's death
• Girl's spirit, faith, touched many
• A short life that brought out the best in others

- Kathleen