There is
always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.
- Graham Greene |
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JOSHUA EARL PHILLIPS Whose Future has come |
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Josh was a little over a year old. The bear is an AG Bear that growls when you talk to it. It was one of Josh's favorite stuffed animals, and I still have that bear in Josh's room. The year of the photo was 1985, and we were living in Vermont; this particular photo was taken on one of our many drives to Pennsylvania to visit Josh's grandparents (my parents - my mother died six months after my husband in 2000) |
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At the age of five, Josh's father thought it was time for Josh to have his first dog. We were living in Wilkes-Barre, PA and it was a lovely spring day when we went to find Josh a puppy. He was adamant that it be a male so he could name it Bart after Bart Simpson. But when we stood in front of the puppy pens, this little fuzzy female could not take her eyes off of Josh. Next to her was her brother, but he didn't seem much interested in us. Then the little girl puppy raised her paw as if to say, "Please choose me." And, so Josh did. I'll never forget him carrying her out to the car; her little tail was wagging furiously beneath Josh's arm. On the way home, with Josh and his new puppy in the backseat, he lifted her up under her little arms and declared, "And her name shall be Toots!" |
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I can still picture them in my mind; I'd go check on Josh before going to bed and Toots would be stretched out across the top of the bed and Josh's head would be resting on her side, using her as his pillow. She was a wonderful dog, but died of pulmonary disease in 1997. |
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Josh was about four years old in this picture. It was taken in the fall in the yard of the home we rented in Rutland, VT.
He was an
active little boy and getting |
I shot this photograph in the Hartford, CT science center. We'd caught a train from a small village in VT to Hartford just for a family day trip one weekend. Josh very much enjoyed the science center and tried just about everything there was for a child to do. He always liked going to zoos, museums and science centers, even at a very young age. |
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Josh and his dad. I snapped this photo at our home in Rutland, VT. Josh was three and a half and adored his dad. They did many things together as Josh was growing up and Josh looked forward to special outings with just he and his father. |
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This was a grand
day for Josh's Dad, Steve. This
photo was taken on the occasion The photo was
taken right after I remember how
proud Steve was |
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This is Josh
posing in in his Cub Scout uniform on the front porch of our home in
Wilkes-Barre, PA.
It was the year he was a Wolf Cub and |
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JOSH'S PETS | ||
Joshua is 13 years old in this photograph, posing with some of his pet birds. The little blue parakeet looking at the camera was his first bird, and pretty soon, we were all hooked on having birds as pets. We would acquire three more after this picture. Josh was always gentle with these little ones and enjoyed training them to perch on his finger, and to talk and whistle. Even now, with Josh gone nearly five years, one of the cockatiels still whistles some of the tunes Josh taught him. |
This was one of the last pictures taken It
was taken in our backyard pool with his It is one of my favorite pictures of Josh because it's how I always remember him; compassionate and caring; devoted to his pets. |
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This was a Christmastime photo of Steve and me with all three boys. Dan had flown down from PA and Ben was actually staying with us at the time as he looked for a new job. Josh was thrilled to have his brothers stay with us. Even with the difference in their ages, all three brothers have always gotten along very well and enjoyed spending time with each other. Steve and I were always so happy to have our family all together. We had just bought our house, so we were really ecstatic at the time this picture was taken. |
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This is another favorite picture of mine from our family album. This shot
was taken on Mother's Day, 1996 when Josh was 12. He was so excited to do
something special for me Throughout his childhood, he loved to have a special "date" with me; a dinner out for just the two of us, or a night at the movies for just the two of us. He loved planning special things for people he loved, and took great care in choosing gifts for birthdays and Christmases. This was a wonderful day for me. It was such a neat thing for him to want to do for me and I'll never forget it. |
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Josh on his 17th
birthday (St. Patrick's Day 2001) and me at the prison visitation park. |
Josh (just a month away from his 19th birthday, Feb. 2003) and his half brother Daniel. This visit was a complete surprise for Josh. He had no idea his brother was coming and I wish I could have had a photo of the expression on Josh's face when he saw his brother standing next to me as he came through the door to the visiting park. |
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Both Josh's brothers try to see him, but it's difficult when they live so far out-of-state; one in PA and the other in NC. But, the brothers do talk regularly on the phone and exchange cards and letters. |
FLORIDA MOMS WITH CHILDREN IN PRISON