  Goodbye, urlLink Mattie Stepanek . Mattie is a 14-year-old boy who struggled with a rare form of muscular dystrophy. You can read more about him through the link above. He passed away yesterday, June 22nd. Mattie was a very special kid.
I first urlLink saw him in Oprah and immediately grew to admire this little boy. He wrote poetry. He's a genius of a poet. His poems are composed of the simplest words, yet when put together they create a connection with whoever reads it. His poetry has a way of tugging your heart and bringing tears to your eyes. urlLink You should hear him read his poetry out loud.
It gives a totally different spin to his poems. Maybe because I can't fathom how such a young and innocent child could write about life's celebrations and even death -- but that is why Mattie is special. He possessed a maturity some of us don't even have. I bought his book once, but never got around to reading it. I was just happy I had part of Mattie's poetry with me. Here's one of his beautiful poems from the book "Journey Through Heartsongs. " It reminds us to be grateful for all the miracles that come our way, may they be big or small. Celebrate these miracles. Prayer for a Journey Thank You, God, Not just for life, But for our journey through life. Life is a miracle, And a journey through life Is so full of so many more miracles If we travel with our Heartsongs.
Thank You, God, For blessing me with the Gift of Heartsongs, So that I can enjoy my miracles. April 1998 © Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek Be safe, Mattie. As you go on another journey, your poetry remains with us and will live on in our hearts. I promise to listen to my Heartsongs more closely. This is what I have learned from you, and I thank you, thank you, for this legacy. 
