Hi, everyone. Welcome to Thanks for being here, a short weekly pod to remind us of the many

essential and beautiful ways we affect one another. Every Sunday, I'll read a submission from a

listener of Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Could be wedding vows or a bat mitzvah toast, a eulogy, or

retirement speech. We believe this is probably the loveliest way to tap into our better

selves and remember our highest values. We encourage you to share this podcast each week with one

person you love, maybe someone you miss and need to bring closer, someone you want to feel

your appreciation or admiration or both.

This is thanks for being here.

Today's thanks for being here comes from a listener named Ashley Stavanovitch.

And she's sharing a eulogy that was given by Leslie Hugh for her son Pierce. It's a beautiful, gut-wrenching eulogy, and I almost didn't share it because

the circumstances around it are so gruesome. Pierce was shot and killed by his father, who then turned the gun on himself.

And the reason I thought this was worth sharing is because since learning about Pierce and

Leslie, I have been reading on a website called piercespledge.org about this terrible problem,

which is that on average, one child a week is murdered by a parent

or step-parent during divorce, separation, child support, visitation, or custody negotiations.

Many of these tragic events occur during ongoing legal disputes.

And so Leslie Hugh is pouring all her energy in trying to rally

family law attorneys, to influence clients, to disclose and temporarily store weapons in a third-party

location during the time of representation, as of course this will reduce the potential

for violence. Again, the website is Pierce's pledge, and here is the eulogy Leslie Hugh wrote for

her son Pierce. On January 13th, the unthinkable happened. It rocked me to my core as I'm sure

it did for most of you.

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