Robert Morales was born on January 24, 1973.  He grew up in the city of Baldwin Park.  There he attended Bursch Elementary school and than he transferred to a local parochial school, St. John the Baptist.  He graduated from eighth grade at St John’s.  From there Robert decided to go to another private school.  He chose Don Bosco Technical Institute.  There he struggled for a while and decided that that school was not for him.  He then transferred into a local public school, Sierra Vista High School.  Before he was to graduate from high school he was blessed with the birth of his first son, Robert Anthony Morales. Robert graduated as a member of the class of 1991.  In March of 1992, he was blessed with the birth of his second son, Daniel Alex Morales.  In December of that year, Robert was at a friend’s party where he was shot by two gang member and died on the scene.  This was only two blocks away from  his parents’ house and five days before Christmas.

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I was only eleven years old when Robert was murdered.  I can’t tell stories of his childhood because I wasn’t there.  I remember that he was always there for me.  He was great.  He took me to his house for the weekend.  We watched cartoons and went places.  He even taught me to drive, and I was only 11.  Robert was great.  He was always volunteering to watch me while my parents went places or had business to take care of. 

I enjoyed what little time I spent with him. He picked me up from school on his skateboard.  I looked forward to that all the time.  There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for me.  The one thing I remember about him the most was the love he had for his two sons.  You could see it in his eyes all of the time.  He had a love for his sons so great that it hurt him to discipline them.  He used to call Robert Anthony, Mojo, or little man.  He was a great father, a wonderful   brother, and most of all, a best friend.

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 Safely Home

I am home in Heaven, dear ones;

Oh, so happy and so bright

There is perfect joy and beauty

In this everlasting light.

All the pain and grief is over,

Every restless tossing passed;

I am now at peace forever,

Safely home in Heaven at last.

Did you wonder I so calmly

Trod the valley of the shade ?

Oh! but Jesus love illumined

Every dark and fearful glade.

And He came Himself to meet me

In that way so hard to tread;

And with Jesus arm to lean on,

Could I have one doubt or dread?

Then you must not grieve so sorely,

For I love you dearly still:

Try to look beyond earth’s shadows,

Pray to trust our Father’s Will

There is work still waiting for you,

So you must not idly stand;

Do it now, while life remaineth-

You shall rest in Jesus’ land.

When that work is all completed,

He will gently call you Home,

Oh, the rapture of that meeting,

Oh, the joy to see you come!

 

God’s Loan

 

I’ll loan you for a little time

a child of mine, he said

For you to love the while he lives, and

mourn for when he’s dead.

It may be eleven or twelve years,

or twenty two or three,

But will you till I call him back

take care of him for  Me?

He’ll bring his charms to gladden you,

and should his stay be brief,

You’ll have his memories

as solace for your grief.

I cannot promise he will stay

since all from earth return,

But there are lessons taught down there

I’ll want this child to learn.

I’ve looked this wide world over

in my search for teachers true,

And from the throngs

that crowd life’s lanes,

I have selected you.

Now, will you give him all your love,

nor think the labor vain,

Nor hate  Me when I come to call

to take him back again?

I fancied that I heard you say,

“Dear Lord, Thy will be done”

For all the joy this child shall bring

the risk of grief we’ll run.

We’ll shelter him with tenderness,

We’ll love him while we may,

And since the angels called for him

much sooner than we planned,

We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes

and try to understand.