Beloved Little December Child

On December 2, 1993, my sister, Meg, went into premature labor and delivered a perfect, tiny little baby boy, Joseph Adam Carrick. He weighed only 1 lbs. 8 oz. We all loved him so. We hoped and prayed that our love for him would be enough. We thought our tremendous feelings of love would truly be able to sustain him.
When little Joseph left us 24 days later on December 26th, we felt indescribable heartbreak. We also had this strong and convincing feeling that his unique and special spirit would never really leave us. So in the midst of our broken hearts we supported and comforted each other as best we could. We stood together and shared our words and music with other parents and families who had experienced the ultimate pain of loosing a child.

Within My Heart

Chorus: You're here with me,

within my heart
And there you'll stay
We'll never part
Your spirit lives inside of me
This part of you will always be

And when I see the sun arise
You'll see it too
You'll use my eyes
You'll use my feet to do your dance
I promise you, you'll have your chance
You'll sing your song
You'll have your day
I'll never let you go away
I'll keep you warm and safe and sound
Within my heart

You'll build a castle in the sand
You'll shape its' form
You'll use my hands
You'll run through snow that looks like lace
My ice cream cone is for you to taste
And when my life is dark and blue
I'll look inside and I'll find you
You'll put a smile upon my face
You'll be the breath of peace and grace
That sees me through

And as I walk down through the years
Throughout my life,
the laughs, the tears,
the joy and pain that's filled my heart
You'll be there still
You always will
Withing my heart

Then, when my time on earth must end
I'll have no fear,
I'll have my friend
The one I love will be with me
now and through eternity
The love that started one spring day
will never die or go away
I'll keep you warm and safe and sound
I'll hug you close and feel you here
I'll keep you warm and safe and sound
Withing my heart

Music - Joe Carrick
Lyrics - Mary Beth Buchner
Albany, NY 1994