Heartbroken

So much love. So many memories. So many broken hearts. So many familiar faces, older now, yet still babies to me. I remember them as babies, as little children, and forever in my heart and in my mind, little children they will remain.

Sweet little Andrew, a wide-eyed boy in a red and black Elmer Fudd hat, lives in my heart as a one-year old. He always has, even as he grew up, even as he served as a protector of the neighborhood, even as he grew into a young man. And always, this is how I will remember him. This is my image of the boy we celebrated this evening. For others, the image is of a young man, a teenager, an employee, a student, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin, a friend, and most heartbreakingly, a son and a brother. So many faces. So many friends. So much life packed into 22 years. This was a life FILLED with LIFE. His was a life to remember, to celebrate, and in the end, a life from which we all can learn. Rest in peace, Andrew, and watch over your beautiful mother and your sweet brother, and help heal their broken hearts.