Torch (continued)	Waxahachie Daily Light	December 13, 2001

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"We were told that every torchbearer has their own torch," Paul explained. "You don't actually hand off the torch, you just use your torch to light the one of the next runner.      "Since Justin and I are running connecting legs, we are hoping they let us carry the same torch -- Ashley's torch. It's pretty special for both of us," he said.      Holding a framed picture of Ashley, Susan wanted to walk out into the street when Justin handed the torch off to Paul, pausing just long enough to have a picture taken of the three of them with the photo of Ashley.      "We want her to be included in this moment," Susan said. "I don't know if they'll let us do it or not, but we're going to ask."      Listening to the weather and traffic reports on the car radio, Paul noted that at least it wouldn't be cold.      "We might get lucky," he said. "The weatherman said this rain is supposed to blow through by mid-morning, so we might get to stay dry."      At 8 a.m., they arrived at the staging area. Susan went with Paul and Justin to ask about their special request, and ensure their leg of the torch run hadn't changed. A few minutes later, Paul walked back to the car.      "They are going to let us carry the same torch," he said, excited that he and Justin could both carry the torch presented to Ashley by Olympic gold medalist Nikki Stone just before her death.      "They also said it would be OK for Susan to come out when we exchanged the torch," Paul added.      Leaving Paul and Justin to take part in the pre-run briefing, Susan drove to the intersection of 4th Street and University Drive -- the intersection where Justin would hand the torch to Paul.      Pulling into the parking lot of a restaurant on the corner, Susan leaned back in the seat to take a short rest.      Both Paul and Justin would carry the torch 2/10 of a mile. Justin's portion would run from 7th Street to 4th Street, and Paul would continue the trek to Wingate Drive.	Over the next hour, family members from around the state and friends from Waxahachie began arriving to share the moment.      Wearing a purple ribbon in Ashley's honor and clutching the picture of her daughter, Susan visited with the crowd that had assembled on the sidewalk, peering down the street every few minutes to see if they were on their way.      Around 9:30, a man came by telling everyone the torch was running about a half-hour behind schedule. Already the crowd at the intersection had grown to more than 100 -- and this was just one of the more than 300 torch exchanges scheduled during the one-day Metroplex tour as the torch traveled through Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas.      Shortly after 10 a.m., the rumble of police motorcycles with sirens blaring could be heard as everyone leaned toward the edge of the sidewalk to watch.      A few moments before Justin came into view with the torch held high, a support vehicle stopped at the intersection to drop off Paul, as he watched his son finish his leg of the relay.      With the crowd cheering, Justin handed the torch to Paul and Susan walked out into the street. With Paul holding the torch, the three of them stood together and shared a special moment of remembrance for Ashley.      "It was more awesome than I ever thought it would be," Justin said. "There were lots of people yelling, 'Go U.S.A.' I didn't expect this many people. It was such a neat feeling to have all these people cheering for you."      Justin said Ashley was with him every step of the way.      "I know she was right there beside me," he said. "She helped me get through it. The torch started getting heavy after a while, but I just thought of Ashley standing with me with that smile that she always had and I kept on going. This was for her.      "It was totally awesome," he said. "It's something that I'll	forget, that's for sure -- especially all the people cheering as I walked by. I couldn't believe they were actually asking me to touch their (American) flag as I walked by."      Instead of taking the support vehicle back to the staging area, Paul elected to walk back to the intersection to be with his family.      During his short leg of the relay, Paul said he thought of his daughter the entire way.      "The whole way, I kept looking at the flame and thinking of Ashley -- thinking of how much she looked forward to being here today. I know she was here with us," Paul said.      "I thought I'd be more emotional," he said. "I thought this would be very difficult for me. Instead, it's turned out to be a wonderful way to honor Ashley. This is all about her.      "Today was supposed to be her day," he said. "During her battle with cancer, Ashley touched so many lives. I'm still in awe of how many people were touched by her -- how she served as an inspiration to them. That's what the Olympic Torch Relay is all about. She deserved to be here. Today, this was all about her. She was definitely with us. I could feel her presence.      "This was something special," he said. "I'm so thankful -- we're all so thankful that we had the opportunity to do this for her."      Paul said the event helped ease the pain of losing their daughter.      "I don't think the pain will ever go away. There is always going to be a hole that can never be filled, but today helped ease it. It balanced the pain. Ashley left us with so many wonderful memories, and that helps. We know that Ashley is in heaven, and that we will see her again, and that helps.      "What we did today was very special, and it helped a lot," he said.      During the pre-relay briefing, Paul said organizers told runners they could jog or walk the route, but they should take time to enjoy the moment because it will be over before they know it.	While in the support vehicle, Paul said each of the torchbearers were asked to share their story of how they came to be selected.      "There are so many incredible people here. Their stories are just like Ashley's. It really touches your heart to hear of their acts of courage, inspiration and compassion to others. When it came my turn, I started to talk about Ashley, and I was amazed that nearly everyone on the bus had already heard about her."      Still, Paul said, nothing could prepare him for the experience of actually carrying the torch.      "I started off jogging, but then about a block later I decided to walk and just really take everything in. They were right, it's over before you realize it. It's such an incredible experience, I wanted to take that last block and just soak everything in.      "It really didn't hit me how very special this is until I started carrying the torch. It's so much more than representing your country. You are representing America, but you are also representing the Olympic spirit as well as the human spirit. It's pretty moving."      Paul praised the Olympic Torch Relay staff for their dedication and compassion.      "They were just super people," he said. "We're so thankful that they allowed Justin to hand off Ashley's torch instead of making me carry a separate torch.      That was very important to both of us. This was the torch that Ashley had held. It was the one that Nikki Stone had given her and it meant a lot to her. We both wanted to share that experienced of carrying her torch.      "It was a special day," he said. "It was nice to be able to share it with so many friends and family members who drove up to be a part of it. I'm still in awe. I know that Ashley was enjoying it, too."
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