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Publisher
Arthur Horwitz
Editor
Elizabeth Applebaum
Art Directors
Gayle Baldi, Debbie Schultz
Contributing Writers
Lynne Konstantin
Mark Lichterman
Diane Schaefer
Scott Warheit
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Phillip Applebaum
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Daniel Lippitt
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PUBLISHED BY: 459
The Jewish News Group of
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Charles A. Buerger
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Andrew A. Buerger, Arthur M. Horwitz,
Sylvia Boyko Stafford
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Robyn Katz
Jewish News Editor
Phil Jacobs
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©COPYRIGHT 1997 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
ith three
young chil-
dren and a
full-time job,
it's rare I find time to read.
When I do, it's usually late at
night, and something along the
lines of People is about as intel-
lectual as I can take.
But several weeks
ago I was in Borders
when I saw a book
called Feather: A
Child'sDeath and
Life. I was intrigued
by the cover, a small
boy in a checked
jacket and boots. I
got a copy.
One night I began reading,
and I read for hours, late into
the night.
Feather (a nickname from
his sister) was born Richard Pe-
ters in 1955. He was 4 when
he contracted encephalitis. His
descent into death was quick.
His parents thought he had
some kind of bug, and let him
rest in his room upstairs. Hours
later, Robert Peters stood hold-
ing his son, telling his wife,
"He's dying. He's dying."
Usually, I try to avoid books
like these because the pain is
so searing, like fire in the heart.
I lose sleep, hover over my
own children, feel uneasy
about God. But I urge you to
get this book, because while
the reading is painful it is also
tender. Peters is an exceptional-
ly good writer who loved his
son to the very heart of his
soul.
So consumed was I by
Feather that I spoke of it at
length with anyone who
would listen. Most, I'm sure,
thought I was strange. One did
not. Her name is Melody.
Melody is a member of a
Baptist Church in Kansas,
where she lives. A number of
years ago, the young son of one
of her close friends became ill.
His fever was high, and he was
listless. His parents took him to
the doctor, who assured them
he would be fine.
Soon after, the boy
died of meningitis.
Melody is a pi-
anist who has
played at many fu-
A
nerals, and conse-
Child's
Death
quently has seen
and
much
of death. But
Lice
this one was unfor-
gettable, she said.
The boy's toys and everything
important to him were lined
up beside his coffin. She specifi-
cally recalled his bicycle.
In addition to the heart-
break, though, something quite
unusual happened at this fu-
neral. The boy's father had
been active in an organ donor
organization, and very much
believed in the cause. After de-
livering the eulogy, Melody's
minister took out his driver's li-
cense and signed the back,
agreeing to donate his organs
after death, in memory of the
little boy who was lost.
I have thought again and
again of this gesture — how
giving it was, and how out of
despair can come such kind-
ness. If only we all made a step
to doing gemilut chesidim
(acts of lovingkindness), such
as donating to charity, whenev-
er we hear of a tragedy. What a
world we might make.
Elizabeth Applebaum,
Editor
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