So Many Times
So Many times,
I've yearned to see your precious face;
So many times,
I've longed for just one more sweet embrace.
If I could go back to yesterday,
I would cherish every minute;
And in these days that have gone astray,
I'd feel your sweet love in it.
I never knew I could miss so much,
Your little hand in mine;
Nor the precious drawings you used to do,
Like beautiful Valentines.
And that love you gave to each of us,
In a life that was much too short;
Is a memory I'll treasure forever,
Buried deep in the diary of my heart.
Ruth Berdine ~ Grandmother of Allison
c2000
~~~ Heart Thoughts of Allison at Christmas ~~~
I remember so well the time that I spent making
my girls Christmas dresses, and then driving
to your house to check out the fit, and
having to make alterations.
I don't sew anymore, I have not for awhile, as
it seems such a waste of my time.
I miss the
dotted swiss with laces and bows,
that I made
for my girls in my prime.
I spent plenty of time in Toys R Us,
with a list of possibilities in mind,
but with so much to select from and wanting to please,
one would think I was looking for one of a kind.
Missing you is easy, as you were so special,
and
Christmas and your birthday pains me most,
but
I had those years that some never experience,
and God gets the glory, of that I can boast.
Oh, I miss my baby girl, I loved you so much,
and I
miss the little fingers that I loved to touch.
You
giggled and laughed as we danced around the floor,
twirling and twirling and begging for more.
The pain in my heart drags me down now and then,
remembering and reliving the places we've been.
If God would just bring you to me in a dream,
perhaps we could dance to the waltz once again.
Copyright by Ruth Berdine, 2005
Daughter of Ron & Michele Scoppa
Sister of Ashley & Andrew Scoppa
Grandparents Pete & Jane Scoppa
and Ruth & Bob Berdine
Our Allison died from "brain cancer"
and was the
bravest little girl anyone had ever seen.
After you read her story, please take
time to sign her Guestbook below.
Allison's favorite foods were pizza and chicken nuggets.
She loved catsup on all meats, so I made sure
when she was coming to see me (her Nana) that I
had plenty of that on hand. She loved ice cream,
bananas, M&M's and tiny marshmallows.
She had a passion for Barbie Dolls, dressing
and undressing them for hours. She loved to
play "pretend" with her toys, especially
those with many parts...You always knew
to be careful where you stepped in Allison's room!
She loved watching her Children's Videos and
cuddling with her stuffed animals and baby dolls.
When she became ill, she was given a lap keyboard
and loved to play it. She played "Happy Birthday"
to her Mommy for her 40th birthday,
just 19 days before she passed away.
Her favorite flower in the whole world was the sunflower.
I bought her a denim hat with a big sunflower
on it and made her a T-shirt whith a big, gold,
glittery sunflower on it.
She had a love for "Smiley Faces" and drew them
on most everything. She loved to color and
drew one of her other favorites, hearts all the time.
On the next page of this site, you will see a sweet
little "card" she made her Nana. This is one of
my sweetest treasures.
She went to Westbury Christian School in Houston,
and was
in the 3rd grade. She also attended
Faith Lutheran School in the 2nd grade.
Her teacher at Faith Lutheran and her classmates,
along with
other teachers did a quilt for her.
All the students in her
class had a white square
to sign their name and let her know
that they
were praying for her healing.
After she could no
longer go to school, and the many
times she was in
th hospital, her teacher
from Westbury Christian would arrive at her room
with
a basket of wrapped gifts from the
other teachers at the
same school. When she passed away,
the quilt, and many of
her stuffed animals were
placed in the rooms adjoining where
she lay in a
closed casket. Pictures of her were everywhere,
from the
time she was born up until her 8 year old picture.
When Allison passed away, her other grandparents,
the
Scoppa's, had a plaque made with her name
and picture
placed on it, and presented it to
the library at her school.
They also pledged to give an annual
award in her memory,
every year, for a child that had health
problems, but was
a brave little trooper like our Allison.
So, for three years
the Scoppa's have given this award.
Allison's Dad volunteers at Ronald McDonald House every
other
Friday in Allison's memory. Ashley, the oldest child,
who adored Allison,
and who was nearly four
years old when Allison was born,
volunteers
every Friday after school at Texas Children's Hospital
in Houston, with her other Grandmother, Jane
on the floors where the children with cancer are
.
She pushes
the cart around to the rooms and
passes out games, etc.
At one of their meetings she heard that they had
a shortgage
of coloring books.
Ashley took it upon herself to take a video camera to the
hospital and video tape the children. She got
permission to
go before the students at Westbury Christian
and present
this video to them, and then talked
about the need for coloring
books and crayons at Texas Children's.
In one week, the
students donated over 1,000 coloring books
and nearly 300
boxes of crayons.
Ashley was 13 when Allison died...She beat herself
over the head about "all the times I was mean to her."
One night she went to bed and prayed to God
to allow her to "see" Allison in her dreams.
That night, in her dream, Allison came riding her bike down
the street really fast, just like she always had,
and Ashley called out to her. She turned and
came back and Ashley told Allison that she was
sorry that she was "ever mean to her." Allison just said,
"That's okay!" They hugged and Allison rode away.
The next night, Ashley again asked God to send
Allison to her in her dreams to ask her one more thing.
When Allison appeared, Ashley asked her, "What's Heaven like?"
Allison replied, "I have to go...I'll have to talk to you later."
They hugged and she was gone. It never happened again.
Ashley is a senior this year, and will be
18 years
old next January 2. Their brother Andrew is now 9.
Allison would have been 14
years old this coming September 8th.
On Easter Sunday, 1996, Allison gave her heart to Jesus,
so
we know where she is, and know
that we shall see her
again one day. This
took place about 2 months before she
died.
DONATIONS TO THE ALLISON SCOPPA AWARD
MAY BE MAILED TO
The Allison Scoppa Award
C/O Westbury Christian School
10420 Hillcroft
Houston, TX 77096-4796
DONATIONS OF COLORING BOOKS AND CRAYONS
MAY BE MAILED TO THIS SAME ADDRESS IN ALLISON'S NAME
They will be donated to Texas Children's Hospital in her memory.
 
View my Old Guestbook Here
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALLISON ~ FROM NANA
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