Last summer Ethan got a little motorcycle to tool around on. He loved the sport and his thoughtful mother arranged to surprise Ethan for his birthday. We did a great job selling Ethan that he’d never get one because it was too dangerous, etc. He had given up asking for one – which made the surprise all the sweeter. With the help of some amazing neighbors who helped source and assemble the motorcycle (thank you Seth Lloyd), Ethan had the surprise of his life.
Little Wyatt, who is now fast approaching the age of Mitch when he passed away, was so excited for his brother. Though he was anxious to enjoy a gift he never thought he’d get, Ethan looked at Wyatt’s big eyes and said, “Do you want a ride?” Wyatt smiled with delight as his older brother handed him his helmet. Carefully they drove down our cul-de-sac and as Wyatt carried with him an enormous grin. These are the kind of days parents live for. To see your child find joy is one thing, but to see your child give joy to another is altogether different. That is a satisfaction of a deeper sort. If I find deep joy in watching my own children love and lift another, how might our Father feel about us doing the same to each other?
Ethan has told me on several occasions that he wants to use the lessons he’s learned from his fallen brother to help others. At 14 years of age, he reads Mitchell’s Journey all the time and comes back to me with ideas, insights and self-discoveries. Sometimes I cry when I reflect on the things he says – for tender mercies abound.
Ethan has learned to put his arm around Wyatt like he did Mitch. Every day he is shaping his little brother through kindness and brotherly mentorship. Oh, they’re not perfect. They’re just like any young brothers who tease and fight – they take things too far and their arguments sometimes seem to go on too long. They both have their strengths and growth opportunities, like all of us do. But the point isn’t that they stumble, but rather how they get back up again. Their forgiveness isn’t conditional. I love that.
To young Wyatt, on this warm summer afternoon, his older brother was a super brother-turned superhero. He inspired me just as much as his little brother.
Happy Memorial Day, son. I remember you every second of every day. I visit often this place where your body lay. Strangely a place of peace and great unrest, slowly learning to live while coping with your death.
The summer sun was about to fade into evening as my kids discovered a hole I was digging in our back yard. The freshly-turned soil was soft and as inviting to a child as a shiny playground or a new puddle on the heels of a summer storm. Like flies to honey, these little ones ran to the dirt pile to see what it was all about. Within minutes Laura-Ashley and Ethan were busy exploring the uncovered earth. Mitch found his way to them and plopped his little bum in the dirt and began to play with them. At one point, Mitch turned back at me and smiled as if to say, “Hey Dad! I’m one of the big kids now.” Mitch then turned toward his siblings and continued to squish handfuls of dirt with his chubby little fingers.
Natalie and I were poor as church mice, struggling to launch a company and trying to make the most of what little we had. We learned early in our marriage that material things, though nice, never made us truly happy – in fact, we found that the preoccupation with things got in the way of that which we wanted most. So on this day, I found our children huddled around an ordinary pile of dirt having an extraordinary youthful experience, my heart skipped a beat or two.
In the background was an inflatable swimming pool on our trampoline filled with water. That was our inexpensive way of having a watery ruckus with our kids. I loved watching our kids bounce and slosh about in a pool that suddenly became a washing machine. I can still hear their giggles today.
There were many months we worried about how we’d make ends meet; each day was a step into the fog of the unknown. Not sure how we would to pay for the mortgage or even diapers … we agonized over how we’d make it. Although those times were difficult for our family … looking back, I miss the struggle. I miss our life back then.
Though I thought my life a curious hell – facing an uncertain and turbulent financial future – I now look back on those hard times with fondness and a deep sense of appreciation. We could hardly pay for groceries – yet we had Friday night den parties with popcorn fit for a king. Our sippy cups were filled with a 50/50 blend of water and apple juice because that was all we could afford. Our kids didn't know or care … they were just grateful to have something – and so were we. Though our pockets were almost empty, our hearts were overflowing.
Sometimes I wondered in moments of hardship, “Why am I struggling like this? Father, will you help me?” Relief eventually came. Though we struggled in our wilderness, tender mercies were abundant – we just didn't have the eyes to see them at the time. Days felt like weeks, weeks felt like months, and months felt like years … but I can see now what our Father was doing to our family back then. We learned lessons we would have never gained on an easier road. In my heart and soul, I thank my Father and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Today is Mitchell’s birthday. He would have turned 13. He died just before his 11th birthday – so young and innocent. Though I know his soul lives on, I miss my little boy in my arms.
When I think back on this beautiful moment with my children, surrounded by worry and struggle, self-doubt and fear, I can see beauty in the struggle. I long for that struggle and the things it taught me and the moments it afforded me with my family.
Today I face a different form of poverty … one borne of grief. At least to me, grief is a form of emotional poverty. Yes, grief is an expression of deep love and longing for what once was … but it also tends to come at the expense of momentary happiness. Grief is not a choice, it is the price we pay for having loved someone deeply.
As poor as my soul feels, I know I’ll look back one day … at today … with fondness. For I will see, like I can see in my early years, what my Father is doing to me – and I will be grateful.
This evening we’ll be taking our kids to the Olive Garden, Mitchell’s favorite restaurant. I’ll have his favorite Tour of Italy. Together, our family will laugh and remember the good times and cry a little about the hard times. Most importantly, we will be grateful that we had time.
We’ll then visit the cemetery to honor our little boy, who through his death, taught us how to live.
Happy Birthday, little boy. You are my struggle. You are a gift to my heart and soul.
Over the Christmas break I took some time off … pretty much everything. I didn't post much here or anywhere. I still captured a lot of photos – but my mind and attention were on my family.
Natalie prepared a fabulous candlelight meal Christmas Eve. As we sat in our dining room I noticed a place set for Mitch, right next to me … where he always sat. Never a chair felt as empty as that chair did that night. I didn't say anything, but I noticed it. I think everyone quietly noticed it. Sometimes, in the rush of routines, we forget and set six places at the dinner table. This time it was deliberate. This time it was quiet act of love, a yearning of the heart, that somehow our little son might join us, sight unseen. And if not, it served as a memorial to a little boy we all loved and missed – and whose company we dearly wished.
As we ate our meal, everyone took turns telling each other what we loved about one another. It was a tender time and I loved to hear my kids talk so kindly about their siblings. Sometimes when our children fight or argue, I worry. But alas, my heart swelled when I heard Laura-Ashley sincerely compliment her younger brothers; I was proud of Ethan as we listened to him offer thoughtful observations and gestures of love toward his siblings; and I loved to hear Wyatt express his love for everyone in his young, unique way. Natalie and I both took turns, too, telling our kids what we admired and loved about them. Of all the gifts we shared that holiday, the gift of love was chief among them.
At the end we all took turns saying what we thought Mitch might have said about each one of us. We giggled a lot and cried a little. It was a beautiful night. I took a photo of the candle at the table and thought about Mitchie's last Christmas, two years prior. I then began to think about how fast, yet slow, time has already passed and how grief is no less punishing today as it was the day of his passing.
The truth about grief is it is a flame that cannot be extinguished. As long as I love, there will be fire. The difference is found in how I carry it. How I channel it.
Grief can either burn me or help me see. I choose to see.