Life's Shattered Dreams ~ Jessica Lunsford

In times of pain and sorrow

We hear the words "tomorrow"

But now in sweetest moments

Each memory now torments

Sweet innocence now taken

A little child forsaken

With cruel and senseless action

That leads us to distraction

What time is left for mourning

Without a seconds' warning

Where is the life we treasure

Each child the love we measure

With beauty that is giving

In every day she's living

Now when hearts are aching

Our spirits now are breaking

For there within the distance

We beg for God's assistance

To help us in this hour

With all His Love and power

For now in whispers sharing

A prayer of love and caring

That we can find a reason

To get us through each season

With love that lives forever

Within each child's endeavor

To share the love and laughter

That echoes ever after

Through all the days unending

Her angel wings descending

Her whispered prayers an essence

Of love that's in your presence.

~ Francine Pucillo ~

©Copyright March 23, 2005

Once again our hearts are saddened by the discovery of little Jessica Lunsford body, a sweet and innocent 9 year old child, from Homosassa, Florida. Her remains found just 150 yards from the sanctity of her home. Relatives of a registered sex offender, John Evander Couey, 46, staying with step sister and friends was deliberately watching Jessica as she went through her day and then invaded into her house and took the little girl away and committed crimes against all humanity on this precious child.

What can we do to prevent this from happening, how can we protect our children from the scurrilous people of the earth who do not need rehabilitation but need to be put somewhere on a special Island, never to leave so that we can protect the innocents of our life.

I personally don't believe that you can rehabilitate a sex offender. Without them willingly taking some type of medication to take away their sick desires, but forcing them to do this is infringing on their rights. THEY HAVE RIGHTS, that is ghastly to me. Yet we live in a society that defends the perpetrator's of heinous crimes and watch a judge treat them with dignity and kindness because of their presumption of innocence. Even those who plead guilty are presumptively innocent until a District Attorney gives them their options and plea bargains with them so that they do not get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This particular case has me beyond the pale of anger and sadness that I wish that there were something that we could do to change this law.

So Couey smiles for the camera, apologizes for taking a polygraph that he knew he would fail and we are all at "his mercy" what is wrong here? Where is the justice. Why can't Jessica be sitting in her room and having a life that she so well deserves, surrounded by her Grandparents and her Daddy and Mom who adored her every breath of life.

Those who Couey was staying with at the time of this crime should be charged to the same degree and held culpable for the death of this little sweet girl.

Those being charged with obstruction were identified as Dorothy Dixon, 47, Couey's half-sister; Madie Secord, 27; and Matthew Dittrich, 31. All these people lived near the home where Jessica was found. Drugs were involved, and so I suppose that makes a defense lawyer want to jump on a wagon and fight for the rights of these "evil evil" people.

Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford visited the scene of his child's death and later spoke to the reporters and with a heavy heart said "Everyone heard me say, time after time, that she would be home," his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. His final remark was ~ "She's home now."

Jeff Dawsy the Citrus County Sheriff said that Jessica's body was found overnight in a densely wooded area. Imagine having a crime scene so close to where your child laughed and played and grew into a beautiful extension of her family, is now marred by the thought of her last moments on this earth filled with abominable thoughts. Imagine the hurt her Dad, Mom and Grandparents have to face every day of their life as Couey is shackled apologizing about the polygraph. Not apologizing for what a despicable crime he committed, but that we wasted someone's time by offering to do a polygraph test. . He wasted an innocent life and I believe his crime deserves the same conclusion that he brought upon Jessica. This kind of crime deserves the same mercy he showed to this beautiful little girl. His sentenced should be death. That's the kind of justice that we need in this world and the kind of justice we should demand.

Jessica's mother Angela Bryant who lives with her husband in Ohio will travel to Florida to face the pain and anguish that a mother's heart can barely deal with. The grandparents and the Father, who obviously adored this little child will have to live with the fact that their little girl suffered a horrible experience in life and died in the hands of a man who should not have been on the street, registered or not, this despicable human being ruined the lives of so many people who loved Jessica and leaves them with a memory that is difficult to reconcile with.

My heart goes out to Jessica's Mom and Dad and the Grandparents and all the family members that have to miss a little piece of heaven on this earth with the loss of their precious Jessica. Please keep them all in your heart and prayers. It's easy to say she is in a "better place now" but truthfully she deserved to live her life to the fullest and that will never be.

There are only memories now, and those memories are tainted with the terrible end that has come to this precious little child. I know that God has welcomed Jessica into a special place in heaven where all "our" little ones who have been taken from life so violently. May God hold her close to His Heart and may her memory on this earth live on forever.

Thank you, Francine Pucillo

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Jessica Lunsfund

"God Hear My Prayer" An Original by

Jalal Ali "JMC Midis"