On July 7, 1991 our nephew Matthew was born. The first grandson of Mother-in-law and Father-in-law. It was wonderful to have a baby boy in the family! I remember so many things about his childhood. The back rubs that he would sit in front of Grammy for. And later, sports. Lots of sports. In fact, just about anything that involved being outdoors. Then 4-wheelers and snowmobiles. Oh yeah. He loved those! Speed! The things he thought of were funny, fun and sometimes scary. It was wonderful to watch him grow into a young man. Confident. Strong in character. I could see that his sister, brother and cousins looked up to him.
I hold onto those memories tightly, because we lost Matthew on May 16, 2010 after an 18 month battle with leukemia. During those 18 months Matthew fought hard and never gave up. I admire Matthew's strength. He never complained. I find myself sometimes complaining about something unimportant. Then I stop myself. And remember what Matthew fought through. His motto was "Play hard and never give up". And that's exactly what he did. Even on 5/16/10 he didn't give up. His body could no longer fight, but I believe his spirit was strong.
I didn't write this post to get sympathy from anyone. That's not what I want. I want us all to appreciate the people close to us. Because you never know when they'll be taken away. Most of us believe that something like this won't happen in our family. Right? I certainly never though it would happen within ours. Never thought it would happen to Matthew's Mom, Dad, sister, brother.
Most of all, I'm writing this for me. I don't want Matthew (and his impact on the lives of so many people) to ever be forgotten. Writing this has been emotional for me. But I want to keep those emotions near the surface. I don't want to bury them.
I want to keep those memories fresh. Always.
Thank you for reading this very personal blog post. I hope that you'll tell your loved ones how important they are to you.
Susie, Thank you for sharing such a personal post with us, Matthew sounds like he was a wonderful young man. We lost my sister to leukemia several years ago and we too had never thought it would happen to us. Thank you for reminding us to be grateful for all those we hold dear.
ReplyDeleteSusie - what a beautiful remembrance of Matthew.I don't believe I ever met him in person, but he always inspired me through his courage and his character throughout his battle with cancer. Hearing your stories about his sense of humor and the family fun still bring a smile to my face. You can most certainly leave a positive mark on this world even without meeting people face to face. I know today is a hard day...just know that he is honored by these thoughtful words. Your words are so true and heard! You and the whole family are in my prayers. Kris
ReplyDeleteSusie, so sorry for you and your families loss. You are right, it's important not to get so bogged down in the responsibilities of life and the every day stressors, when you should be enjoying family and the loved ones around you. Thanks for sharing and the reminder. Thoughts and Prayers. Holly
ReplyDeleteSusie, you are so right. Thanks so much for such an inspirational message. We all need to remember to never take anything or anyone for granted because we never know what tomorrow will bring. He sounds like he was a wonderful young man and I'm so glad you have such great memories of him to keep with you everyday.
ReplyDeleteSusie I came to your blog to thank you for being so encouraging on my blog, but I find that I have to add a thank you for the reminder to remember to love my family, even when at times they make it hard to. Matthew a prayer from me to you :)
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