I first met Chris at the wedding of his aunt and uncle, Keith and Karen. "Funny kid," I thought. But every time I saw him after that, he made me laugh and laugh with that great smile. One summer night we went out on Keith & Karen's boat. The engine died and we were adrift for hours. Chris sat on my knee as I told him this long, made-up story to keep him out of the grown-ups way as they tried to fix the engine. Hours later, when most kids would have been whining, Christopher was right there listening to that story. He was so well-behaved that when we got to the dock, I gave him a dollar for being so good. I'll never forget what he said. "Wow Mister! Thanks! You're the best guy in the whole world!" And you know what? I really felt that way. It was so nice that one little boy could make an adult feel so special. To this very day I have a picture from that night hanging in my hallway. I'll never take it down and whenever I think of Christopher, I'll feel like a great guy.

Jeff Mead