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March 30 would have marked the 29th birthday of the late Aaron Massengill, an apparent murder victim whose lifeless body was found in February along Ferguson Ridge Road in Tazewell. His Mom, Sharon Massengill, is asking that his birth date be celebrated with random acts of kindness in memory of all her son stood for and gave during his short life.

Following is a message Sharon Massengill posted on the Searching for Justice for Aaron Massengill Facebook page explaining the request in full:

Attention: Call to Action for Aaron’s Army

First I would like to ask for your patience in reading this post. I realize I have been MIA on here, to say this has been a difficult time would be the biggest understatement known to mankind. Once again I must say thank you to everyone for the continued support. Family, friends, community and this group have been a light to us in our darkest hours. So please forgive me if I ramble a bit, I will try to be concise with this post….

We have all had a shock with the preliminary hearing and I think it’s fair to say, we are shocked by the actions and inactions of people. However, that is not what I want to focus on, so please refrain from posting anything regarding that hearing or the individuals whom testified on this post. These persons have gotten enough attention, quite frankly, I’m exhausted with all of it. We still desire justice for Aaron, and we will attempt to stay strong through that process. So all prayers and thoughts are welcome and appreciated.

Not sure if all of you realize but Aaron’s birthday is March 30th. I catch myself wondering how I will get through that day and how I can summon the strength to endure the pain of not having my son on the day typically reserved to celebrate his birth and life. So once again everyone, I am asking for your help.

Let us , “Aaron’s Army”, take the focus off “bad” people and show this community and all communities, that there are far more GOOD people in this world than bad.

So here is my request: I would like to have a Random Day of Kindness on Aaron’s birthday (March 30th). It will be a Pay it Forward event. So I ask each and everyone of you to do an act of kindness in remembrance of Aaron, then post your act here. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant; it could be buying someone a cup of coffee, paying for someone’s meal, calling a friend or family member to tell them you love them, plant a tree or flower, etc. It doesn’t matter if you are from this area, these acts can be done anywhere….

Anyone who knew Aaron, knew he would always show up to help. Things he considered just normal “acts” were unseen because he didn’t consider them out of the normal. Whether, he was helping someone broke down on the side of the road, helping work on a house or vehicle, offering to pay the person in front of him remainder of a bill because they were a little short……no one knew these things because to him it was just another day and it was normal. Let us honor that, let us remind everyone there are really good people in this world.

On a personal note, one of the best things about this page was when people shared how they met Aaron. It was heart warming to me and his other family members to read these stories. So this Kindness day will serve many purposes. It will take the focus off negative, honor Aaron, brighten people’s day, and it will comfort us, his family to read what you have done to spread kindness in his memory. I’ve heard it said the brightest lights shine in the darkness………we his family are in the dark, please be our and Aaron’s light. Come on Army, show us how bright we can all shine!!!!!!!

We (Aaron’s family) will be going to businesses and pre-paying for things and leaving Acts of Kindness cards to be given to the recipients. This is possible because of you all and the generosity you have shown us. We would also like to ask anyone that receives an act of kindness to come here and post as well.

Again, I can never ever express the deep appreciation we have for each of you. I only hope this post makes sense…..if not feel free to ask questions and I will do my best to clarify.

Forever Aaron’s Mom

Sharon