Inspiration comes in many forms. Songs, books, events and hobbies are a few, but people especially inspire me. Of course Elijah and Sam continue to inspire me through their strength, compassion, honesty and sincerity.  Every now and then, I come across someone new that completely inspires me. 

This weekend, I was undeniably inspired. 

Elijah was a huge fan of The Walking Dead television show.  He often wanted to play the zombie apocalypse game where we had to tell him ‘on the spot’ what we would do if an apocalypse broke out.  We had to immediately look for some type of sharp object or nearby building for protection. Although Elijah is no longer with us, we all still play the game and discuss potential scenarios (just in case that zombie apocalypse breaks out) J

When we first heard about the Walker Stalker Convention in Charlotte a few months ago, we didn’t hesitate to purchase passes.  If Elijah were here, he would have been first in line with us!  Although he physically wasn’t with us this weekend, there is no doubt he was with us in spirit.  He sent us a lot of signs!

We decided to hand out the new Prayers for Elijah Foundation hacky sacks to the actors because we knew Elijah would completely love it!  Plus, most people know how much I love talking about Elijah and spreading his story of courage, integrity and unconditional love for others.  Never in a million years did I expect to get the reaction we did from every single actor we met.  First off, I was so impressed with these men and women. At most public fan events (actors, athletes, etc.), the talent typically stays a couple of hours to meet fans and sign autographs.  Not the Walking Dead actors…they stayed ALL DAY, BOTH DAYS to meet their fans.  I was amazed. 

So, as we made our way through the lines to reach the actors, each one took thorough, undistracted time to hear about our brave Elijah and the battle he fought against pediatric cancer. Not only did they ask about Elijah, but they also spent time with Sam, asking how he was doing while giving profound advice on how to live without his best friend.  They encouraged him to stay strong, because Elijah would want that.  They didn’t rush us through the line—it was as if they genuinely cared about my precious sons.

I know that Elijah was with us, and I’m so grateful that he got me interested in ‘some crazy zombie show’ many years ago.  I can promise you one thing…those ‘crazy zombie show’ actors have hearts just as huge as their worldwide popularity.  It was such an honor meeting each of them, and this will be a weekend we will never forget.  Thank you for putting a pure, authentic smile on Sam’s face…it’s not something I see too often these days.