Had a dream about Ryan last night.
I went to visit him, he was in some sort of group rehab or residential program. The place was in a bad, old, near-downtown neighborhood. I could picture the door of the building perfectly, it was a familiar place. But when I got there, there were [...]
I finally saw Ryan in a dream, but it’s not what I expected or hoped for.
All along I’ve been waiting to see him in a dream. My wife and daughters have seen him, and they were great experiences. But mine wasn’t. He was waiting outside our bedroom waiting to [...]
Ryan’s bedroom walls were a giant montage. Pictures – some personally drawn, some from the internet, most clipped from magazines. Sports cards, autographs, and memorabilia. Ticket stubs, and showbills. Cross country and marathon numbers from running events. Medals and varsity letters. He also had poems, quotations, scripture [...]
My wife put together a few of the most thoughtful Christmas gifts I’ve ever heard of. For Ryan’s brothers and his girlfriend she put together picture albums. Pictures of each of them and Ryan. This was no small undertaking, each album held two to four hundred pictures, and she filled each [...]
The other day Ryan’s girlfriend showed us an email she had received. It was from a guy who thought the world of Ryan. He wanted her to know how touched he was by his life, and how deeply Ryan’s death affected him. It was a positive message, and a beautiful and uplifting [...]
Think about it. If you believe there’s an afterlife, how insignificant is our life here and now? If the afterlife is for eternity, and I believe it is, how insignificant is an additional 50 years here? Granted, for those left behind it’s very painful and very long. But for those who [...]
This has been a difficult day, I don’t know why. I’ve had tears in my eyes for much of the day. The memories are very strong today.
About a year ago I traded some emails with an old friend. How it got started is interesting, but for me typical. It started with one of those forwarded emails, if I recall it was about problems with the health care system. I have a bad habit of doing a “Reply-all” if [...]
One day Ryan and his best friend Andy went fishing. I don’t remember the particulars, but they brought a lot of fish home and put them in a plastic swimming pool in the back yard. They threw in a bunch of grass and leaves to make the fish feel at home. [...]
Ryan was an incredibly gifted child. At a very young age he had musical and acting opportunities that are rare. He was part of a “kids caravan” that performed at Shakespeare festivals in the area. He was in local theater productions. He performed at the highest level vocal groups in school [...]
