James Bulger may have lived for only a short time on this earth, but his memory has never perished. For many, this little blonde angel touched our hearts in such a way that he has never been far from our thoughts. Our hearts break for the profound loss his family has suffered, and for the horrendously cruel way in which his life was taken. Every year, we mark the birthdays he should have had, wishing there were something we could do, but knowing we are too far removed from that fateful February, over a decade ago.

Thus, I make this page available not to reflect on the horrors of James's death, but the joys of his life. It crushes my soul every time I look at James's precious little face and sprightly eyes, and I can't possibly fathom a reason why someone as beautiful and innocent as he should have met such a tragic end. But my hope is that this page will serve as a sort of tribute to James Bulger's life, and the love and blessedness he brought to all those with whom he shared it.

On 16 March 1990, James Patrick Bulger entered this world a healthy, bouncing baby boy, full of life and energy right from the start. He was the second child of Ralph and Denise Bulger, though their first, a daughter, was stillborn. James was the light of his parents' lives.

The Bulgers lived in a flat in Kirkby, Merseyside, where the majority of their family and friends also resided, thus, James was never without a playmate. Those who were closest to James while he lived, cherish those memories of the happy times they spent with him. But all the memories in the world could not bring James back, and this is why his mother has immersed herself and her emotions in a never-ending battle to obtain "Justice for James," what has become her own way of coping with the unimaginable hurt and anger she feels over his death.

In a heartfelt reminiscence Denise offers on her own website, she urges her supporters not to lose sight of the little boy that once was. "The reason for writing this," she said, "is because I want people to know James did live; he did have a life and he is not just a picture."

She spoke of the joys James brought to both she and Ralph, and the pride they felt gazing into their newborn son's bassinet and delighting in every breath he took. From the time he was born, James was showered with love and attention from both his mother and father.

"Ralph would throw him right up to the ceiling, playing with him, and James would love it," recalled Grandmother Helen, in a later family interview. "It would make me scream and say, 'You'll drop him!', but James would shout 'Again, again!'"

"He was into all kinds of things," Ralph remembered, his responses an alloy of pain and pleasure as he reflected on the happier times spent with his young son. "I used to push him up a hill near here and let him roll down in his go-cart. He loved that. James was a cracking little boy."

James seemed close to Denise, and was not at all bothered to be in her presence. He loved to be read to, and would oftentimes come running to her with a book in hand, snuggle on her lap, and listen intently as she told him the story.

"He was a very bright little boy," Denise would say, proudly. "He could count, he knew his ABCs, and he was already learning how to read. He had loads of books in the flat..."

At the age of two, James was quite the little chatterbox, full of wonder and always eager to learn something new. He loved watching videos with his mommy and had a select few which were his favorites. He would watch those time and time again, no less intrigued by the film than he had been only a few days earlier.

James also had a fascination with trains (which, in the event of his death, would come to be recognized as a tragic irony) and loved anything to do with them.

Being a very amicable child, he enjoyed the company of family, friends and strangers alike. Sadly, one doesn't have to look hard to see that James was an exceptionally trusting little boy: for in his innocence, he did not scream out for his mother, run, or even hesitate that terrible Friday, when two older boys, those who would later take his life, lured him from his mother's care and onto the unfamiliar streets of Bootle...

15:42:32 was "the still that froze a million hearts." One child's innocence taken, and two others' lost in this moment. The footage of James walking hand in hand with his killers, through the Strand precinct. This image, we will never forget.

And something else Denise will never forget: hearing her baby laugh, or whisper "I love you" in her ear, feeling his arms around her neck when he would run to hug her, or the sweet words he spoke to her, like the time he told her the perfume she had on "smelled lovely." All the hopes, dreams and ambitions of a happy future she and Ralph had for him: a future that would never come.

But for what a short life James did lead, it was one which held much happiness for him, Denise and Ralph, and that is what this page is meant to reflect upon. Denise, now remarried, has since been blessed with three more beautiful babies, but she will always treasure those memories of her precious son, James.