A Love That Continues to Honor Matthew ❤️

This morning, I received a picture that touched my heart in a way that is hard to put into words.

Matthew’s Sunday school teacher, who has known and loved him since he was just three years old, and her husband were on vacation in Colorado Springs. While there, they made it a point to travel out of their way to visit Matthew’s roadside memorial.

This is not an easy place to get to. The memorial sits at an extremely large, busy intersection with no designated parking. It’s located up a steep hill, with no sidewalk leading to the sign. Getting there takes extra effort and care. Knowing they made that effort, in the middle of their vacation, simply to stand beside a sign bearing Matthew’s name makes this gesture even more meaningful. What a gift that is.

When you lose a child, you carry their memory with you everywhere. You hope the people who knew and loved them will continue to remember them, speak their name, and hold a little piece of them in their hearts. But when someone goes out of their way to honor your child, even years later and miles from home, it touches a place in your heart that words simply cannot reach.

Over the years, we have been blessed to have multiple friends visit Matthew’s memorial. Every single time, it brings this incredible wave of love that washes over me and fills my heart. Each visit is a reminder that Matthew is still remembered, that his life still matters, and that the love people have for him did not end the day we lost him.

• 

• 

• 

To everyone who has made that effort, shared a memory, spoken his name, or simply taken a moment to think of him: thank you. You may never fully understand how much these gestures mean to a family who misses someone so deeply.

Today, my heart is especially full. We are so incredibly blessed to have people in our lives who continue to love Matthew, remember Matthew, and honor Matthew. And as his mama, there is no greater gift than knowing my boy has not been forgotten.

Forever 19. Forever our son. Forever loved.

❤️ Thank you for remembering our Matthew.