Background music by U2 - “Mothers of the Disappeared”

“She was an angel…” - Tara McDonald, mother of Tori Stafford

“As a father of a young daughter, I know that everyone in this country has the family in their thoughts and prayers.”
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper, May 22, 2009

With such a tragic end to the abduction of Victoria (Tori) Stafford and six long weeks of  subsequent negative news coverage, I wanted to keep this as positive and empowering as possible under the circumstances  ~  to honour the memory of this beautiful child.

Those arrested on May 20, 2009 for this heinous crime are not even worthy of mention here, and their unconscionable depravity cannot tarnish the memory of this young, innocent soul we have lost at their hands. Despite the profound rage and an ocean of tears shed over this grave injustice, my hope is that we can CELEBRATE TORI’S LIFE rather than focusing on the sad circumstances of her death.

Click Here for the history and time line of the case (April 8th to May 20)

Who Was Tori Stafford? (Taken from news report by Patrick Maloney Sun Media)

“She loved animals of all kinds — cats, dogs, horses.  Her favourite colour was purple and she loved to sing and dance.  She often watched Barbie movies.

She liked school and also attended Sunday school, where days before her abduction she wrote on a heart-shaped piece of paper about the importance of loving your enemies.

Though a bit afraid of the dark, she was a feisty kid.  Artsy and creative but also a tomboy, Tori was a study in contrasts, a kid still figuring out who she was and would become.

Her hand-written “resalushon” list for 2009 included getting A’s, or at least B’s, in school.

By all accounts, Tori was a happy, healthy, typical, normal, well adjusted and loved little girl. What happened to her is every parent’s worst nightmare. We must educate and “street proof” our children to recognize red flags, without making them overly fearful or suspicious of everyone. Tori’s parents did this with both of their kids, but it is not 100% foolproof. Children don’t yet have the life experience and “radar” against false appearances. Unfortunately, evil can disguise itself, to break through that shield, unless we keep street proofing our kids on a regular basis. Tori could have been anyone’s child.

On Easter Sunday, more than a thousand people rallied to hold a candlelight vigil in Woodstock for one of their own. They wore purple ribbon badges, and released dozens of purple balloons - Tori’s favourite colour ~ carrying their love, hope and prayers.

Bad things are not supposed to happen to innocent children in our schools where they should always be safe. Perhaps we need to have a “buddy system” in place at all times. The flag at Tori’s school continues to fly at half-mast, while her classmates are given ongoing grief counseling to help cope with the devastating loss of their friend.

Sympathy cards, lit candles, stuffed animals and other memorials from the community have appeared outside Tori’s home to help heal the sorrow of the family, as well as their own. She was such a bright light in so many lives. One of Tori’s neighbours ~ Emma’s mother ~ has set up a small table on her lawn, with stuffed animals placed in the little chairs, commemorating the many tea parties Tori loved to share with her best friends Emma Baker and Angel Murray.

Tori was last seen wearing a black ‘Hannah Montana’ jacket with a white fur-lined hood, green sweater with pink lettering, black  skirt, black leotards and black shoes ~ popular fashion that any little girl in grade 3 might wear.  When they are found ~ then tagged as evidence ~ we hope it speaks volumes in court on her behalf to convict the accused.

There is an online petition to the Canadian government for changes to the criminal code,  amber alert criteria, as well as increasing the penalties for the abduction, interference or murder of a child.

http://www.petitiononline.com/vict888/petition.html

In remembering Tori, the full scope of our emotions cannot be measured. No amount of rational thought or explanation could ever justify what took place that fateful day.  May it never happen again. The sad reality is that it could.  Collectively, we can channel this energy to do more to save other children ~ by staying vigilant about any and all predators around our communities, reporting suspicious behaviour, supporting the efforts of police against pornographic images on line, communicating better with our children, actively monitoring their use of technology, their friends, safeguarding their activities,  speaking up for all children against neglect and abuse, never forgetting those who have been taken from us, advocating for change in our criminal laws to better protect the innocent while severely punishing the offenders. Our children are the most precious legacy we have ~ and they deserve no less.

Tori was only eight years old.
This July 15th, 2009 would have been her ninth birthday.
Rest in Peace, Sweet Angel.