The Sleeping Tiger

If Adam Walsh were alive today, he would have just celebrated his 34th birthday. If Adam Walsh were alive today, we might not have a national database to find missing and exploited children, we would probably not have heard of John Walsh, we would not have America's Most Wanted. If Adam Walsh had lived, married, raised a family, went to college, lived a long a prosperous life, what would have happened to the rest of us?

The day that Adam Walsh was taken from his father, little did the man who harmed him know that he had awakened a sleeping tiger. I've always viewed John Walsh as a gentle man, content to be a family man, to live in the shadows, raise his family and die an inobstrustive, common death. Surely he would have been loved by his family, by Adam and his children, nit that wasn't to be. Over the past 25 years, I have seen the passion, the determination, the lack of fear, the empathy as he as helped so many of us find our loved ones, find closure for our families. And that is why I was so happy, bittersweet happiness, tears of joy and pain when there was finally closure for the Walsh family.

I would like to think that now Adam is looking down upon his father, as he always has during these 25 years and thought "Well, done Dad".

I hope and pray to God every night that I never have to suffer the way that he has suffered. I couldn't do it. I know that as strong as I'd like to think I am, that would have been my breaking point. We have five children, I couldn't bear losing one.

Because of John Walsh, his selflessness,his dedication, I have learned to pay closer attention to my surroundings. I am always with my children and grand children. I look at oddities in my neighborhood. I have recent photos (taken every week) of all of my children and grandchildren. I have their fingerprints, blood samples for DNA. Because of John Walsh, I am reluctantly aware and prepared. I know far more than I would like to know about how ugly this world and some of the people in can be. And all because Adam Walsh will forever be 6 years old.

Every family needs the sort of closure that it took the Walshes 25 years to receive. Even the police acknowledge that it should have come sooner, that mistakes were made. John Walsh was gracious when he spoke of the efforts and the finality. Now he knows. But I saw the look in his eyes. The passion is still there. So much work left to do. And he is only one man. It shouldn't take a trajedy on that level to catapult us into action. We all need to help out where we can, when we can. It starts small. Look on the milk cartons, look at the billboards in WalMart.

John Walsh needs our help. Let's start this year off by doing the right thing. Let's all vow to help one family somewhere, anywhere find closure. Even if it takes 25 years.

http://www.missingkids.com/" target="_blank">Center for Missing and Exploited Childrenhttp://www.amw.com/" target="_blank"> America's Most Wantedhttp://www.childconnection.org/default.html" target="_blank">The Child Connection

http://www.childsearch.org/" target="_blank">National Missing Children Centerhttp://www.icmec.org/" target="_blank">Missing Children (International) http://www.find-missing-children.org/" target="_blank">Child Protection Education of America

We have work to do! Let's get busy.