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| Mother's Day 2008 - Cole, Drew and Clay. |
Four years ago, my oldest nephew, Cole, passed away unexpectedly. I think about him more days than not, but this time of year he is in my thoughts more. He passed away on May 22, 2008. Our family has been blessed with wonderful friends that have been there for us in one way or another.
The song Calling All Angels by Train is my official Cole song. Anytime I hear or see Eminem, I think of him. He had discovered Eminem around the time of his death.
I think he would have continued to be a great older brother to Clay. They would hunt and fish together. Maybe even chase girls. He would still make his parents proud. He would be a great cousin to Drew. He would have welcomed Corey and Joel into the family.
The picture to the right is one of my favorite pictures of Cole. One afternoon, he was at my parents house. I was messing around with my dad's old 35 mm Nikon, and Cole was my model. Most of my memories of Cole are around this age, I think it's because I was still living in Illinois at the time.
The loss of Cole so unexpectedly and at such a young age opened my eyes to a lot of things. My perspective on things definitely changed after his death. Somewhere I read, "Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about." So true! You also never totally know what is causing someone to feel the way they do.
Here's a link to an article that appeared in Buckmaster magazine about my brother Daryl - Cole's dad. It's a wonderful story about what an amazing hunter Daryl is and his real trophy. Click here to read - be sure to grab a tissue.
Update 5/21: My sister took the following picture. It's a memorial to Cole - it's located on my brother and sister-in-law's property. They created it with a lot of the plants and statues sent to the funeral. It overlooks their pond.
I often wonder what Cole's interests would be today. What music would he like - still Eminem? Through Facebook, I've watched his friends grow up. They are learning to drive, going to school dances, experience teenage love and having summer jobs. Here's an earlier entry about Cole,
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| Cole around the age of four. |
The picture to the right is one of my favorite pictures of Cole. One afternoon, he was at my parents house. I was messing around with my dad's old 35 mm Nikon, and Cole was my model. Most of my memories of Cole are around this age, I think it's because I was still living in Illinois at the time.
The loss of Cole so unexpectedly and at such a young age opened my eyes to a lot of things. My perspective on things definitely changed after his death. Somewhere I read, "Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about." So true! You also never totally know what is causing someone to feel the way they do.
Here's a link to an article that appeared in Buckmaster magazine about my brother Daryl - Cole's dad. It's a wonderful story about what an amazing hunter Daryl is and his real trophy. Click here to read - be sure to grab a tissue.
Update 5/21: My sister took the following picture. It's a memorial to Cole - it's located on my brother and sister-in-law's property. They created it with a lot of the plants and statues sent to the funeral. It overlooks their pond.
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