People often ask what they can do or say at the tragic loss of Sullivan. I am writing to help others understand what they can do – everything! With the loss of someone as special as Sullivan, nothing ever could fill that void that is left in our hearts. What can be done is to understand the path we walk each day with each other, understand the impact we have, understand the pain that we all carry, remember the special moments and never forget the positive impact we have on others. Sullivan made a positive impact on most of the people he met.
What Sullivan would have wanted most as his legacy would be to help those who are like him, who struggle with addiction, who may be depressed, misunderstood, labeled as outside the mainstream, sensitive, artistic and ADHD. The stigma of being different can be overwhelming for the sensitive person. So, in the spirit of Sullivan, reach out to truly understand those who are like him and love them for who they are, where they are each moment and what they have done to change our lives.
We are collecting special moments and stories of how Sully positively impacted all our lives. If you have a story or a fun memory, please forward it to us. Don’t feel that you need to be a writer to put down your thoughts; some of the most dramatic writing we have read from Sully’s journal is full of misspellings and grammatical errors.
Glenn Burd's Blog ~ Word Doodles 
Today I came across your sons memorial site at Ralph Stover. I was totally overwhelmed with emotion; at the outpouring of love, of things felt and experienced there, the various trinkets and keepsakes left in his honor and memory. You see, I have been on an intense journey, a search for God in my life, and yes, in this entire world. I ask Him to guide me everyday in thoughts and action before rising out of bed, after the dream veil is lifted and before the realities of this world begin pressing in. I was Divinely lead to that site, as I had no intention of going for a walk along the creek, or to keep continuing down… down further still until I glimpsed a cave and was intrigued. I don’t know where you are spiritually or religiously in your life; if you believe in God The Father and His Son, My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I once was lost in darkness, and they saved me. But I digress, for I write not to “save souls” as they say, or to espouse my beliefs on a total stranger. I write to tell you that your son is still touching lives; that I was compelled to write and send you my love, and to tell you of the deep peace I felt standing there reading, observing, reflecting. The gentle breeze that stirred the wind chimes, in turn, stirred something within myself. It is ironic, yet somehow strangely poetic, that a spot that once was a source of much grief and anguish for you would later become a place of comfort and affirmation for another. I pray you have peace, comfort, and joy in your life.
Brian, Thank you for sharing your moving message; please excuse the long time before my reply.
We call it “Sully’s Rock” because it was always a special place to our son. Historically, it is also Doan’s Cave, used by the famous outlaws to hide from authorities; and much earlier, a stop along the Tohickon for the natives who first lived here. The park was named for Ralph Stover, who married one of my great, great grandfather’s daughters. I knew very little about the place until the horrible morning I found my son on this rock. The story could have ended there; we could have banished the place from our lives as evil or dark. But no, we felt that in our fog of grief that this place had special energy, this place was spiritual and part of a journey our son was taking. Each person who came to visit brought a memory, a rock to add to the collection or a message or a dream for us.
As the years pass, We have learned that this sacred place has helped others in many ways. Hikers stop and tell a story of how there life has changed in some way, how, like you, were “Divinely lead to the site” and this memorial, in this cathedral of nature, may have encouraged them. Sully always wanted to help people in life; it seems he still helps people. This is not a place you drive by casually but a place only reached through a journey.
I too believe in the trans-formative energy of Jesus. Before my son’s passing, my beliefs were somewhat conventional, believing in what I’ve read, relying on my own translation or what I was told, sometimes more emotional than practical. Now, when I visit this rock, I see with different eyes, and feel an energy not known to me before. God has opened a passage of healing for me, one of energy and hope, where time has been folded over itself (when I figure out how to articulate this, I will). I also cannot explain fully the positive signs I and others now see on a regular basis; there are too many to detail. As a brief example, we visit Sully’s Rock often but on special occasions (his birthday, his death date, our birthdays, etc), red-tailed hawks will circle above us. On his birthday this year, February 28th, two hawks circled over us, crying and calling to each other, catching thermals, joining with several turkey vultures, for over an hour. I cannot explain any of this in earthly terms. What I DO know is the peace and hope I feel when I connect with the spiritual. Here, at Sully’s Rock, the spiritual blends with the physical creation, the quiet ebb of the wind through the canopy of protective trees and the sound of flowing water over ageless rocks. Here, I can sit quietly, not thinking of stress or grief for a few moments. Here, I can listen to the still, small voice that comforts my grieving mind.