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-In 1997,
on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama where I was working alone one day, a young teenage girl, whose name was Susan (I never
knew her last name) suddenly took my attention, when she walked up to the entrance gate, from the street below. She
had no clothes on, and was clenching a torn shirt in front of herself. Looking in her face, I knew that she was still
in shock. I saw she had lost quite a bit of blood, in her walk there, and had multiple stab wounds in her lower
back, and a long cut on her neck. All I could possibly do, was talk to her as gently as I knew how. I took
clothes from the back of my car, a shirt, a blanket. I placed her in the front seat, and helped her cover herself more,
until she was alittle warmer. It was cool I remember that night. I promised her, I would not leave her, but went
inside the office, and called for some medical help for her. It took approximately 35 minutes for the police and
fire medics to arrive where we were. As they rolled her away into an ambulance, to take her to the hospital, she
raised up, and said, "what's your name"? And I told her. She told me, she would never forget me. To this
day... I've not forgotten her, and never will. Susan, had been abducted at knife-point, when her car was broken down
on a freeway, outside of Birmingham earlier that night. She remembered, that it was a gang, that there were eight of
them together. She told me, she knew that she would die. But she did not. Sometimes, in thinking of all
these missing children, all the writings I still have left to do for them, and in their memories... Susan's face will
always appear in my mind, and I think of her once more. I don't know, if I really understand, why Susan walked
up to me, out of nowhere that one night. But from that point on, I believe I began to consider, and view certain things in
my life, differently. If she had been taken any further, out into the country, I don't know if she would have survived
or not. I really don't know. Perhaps God "might" have been proving something to me, or showing me something...
or teaching me something... how am I to know exactly what "that" was?? I think, I know... a very strong feeling... maybe
a number of things?? I can only trust, if this is true, he used only, an already bad situation, to gain my attention.
I know that my awareness of missing and abducted children, abused children, and rejected, and neglected children has only
grown much stronger inside me, since that night in '96. I remember in 1998, I began to view missing child photos, on
a regular basis. In looking into their little faces, a sorrow continued to grow. I began to pray for these children
when alone several times, and very sincerely. I believe very much in prayer, but I also realize, that any response,
is ONLY in God's will. We do not know how, or why things happen the way they do. But in these past number
of years of my life, I have learned one thing... that is, these things are very deeply connected.
-If you have any stories you would like to share, or
poems that you have written for any missing child... poems about angels... if you are an adult, who might be suffering
over a missing child, and you just need someone to listen to you, and talk with you... IF you are a young boy, or girl...
if you are a child, and you are hurting for ANY reason whatsoever, and you need to correspond- to talk- to have a friend who
will listen from the bottom of their heart, PLEASE WRITE TO ME, on the email below. If you are a child...
you already have my heart. Just write. I will respond immediantly, I promise you this.
-I have tried to somehow, give Shannon her voice in the
world, her face, and her story... that people around the world, may become very aware, of the very deep, and sincere significance,
of the essence of a child, in their world, of innocence, and also, to see and to remember little Shannon as well. But
also the reality, of the possibility, of a nightmare... that persist in this country alone, each and everyday. I
will respond to ALL emails.
-David T. Culver
Click here to email me.
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