Kingston Springs, Tennessee
On the island we have a custom to greet everyone we meet with Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night, Good Day, Good Evening, so Good Afternoon Friends. Thank you all for coming to celebrate Jared. I want to tell you what you are looking at in front of you. This is Jared and his forever resting place. He asked to have very specific items with him those are the family photo you see here and the photo of his brothers from his dad. He also wanted the plaque that came from his Dad's casket. In addition you see his FIFA banner and his goalie gloves. Behind me you see his shirts. You see his Good Hope County Day shirt that was retired and his FIFA team shirt. He didn't just love soccer he LIVED soccer as he was on 5 soccer teams.
I want you to know he was an Indian and wore his Harpeth class ring until the night he took it off to leave this earth. He told his new friends about you and showed them on Google Earth where his school was, where he parked, where he lived, and I am sure where he went mudding. He hoped you would come visit so he could share his new world with you.
We are just someone in this World but to someone we are the World! Jared was my World. As you know I have Bern sharing with you mt process on Facebook and more recently my blog. This isn't to hurt out bombard anyone, but rather to site the teens and adults it is ok to feel everything you are feeling. Over a year ago I made a post and I still believe it to be important. .... as parents we want to shelter our children from everything. We want to do everything and make sure they only have happy times. Do you know what college admission offices have named us? Helicopter parents. I think Jared would tell you I was a Blackhawk. But the best and most important lessons we can teach is yup let our children see us suffer. Let them see us hurt. Let them see us angry, Let them see us struggle and show then how to process through it and come out stronger on the other side.
Young adults I want you to understand SUICIDE IS NOT THE ANSWER. She said the S word. Yes because that is what it was. It is an ugly word and I hope with your help one day we can remove it from the dictionary to make more room for words like Selfie. I want you to know you will have struggles - LOTS of struggles. .. but it is ok.
We are all here for you. Adults listen to them without the hindsight you have but talk then through it with the wisdom you have.
I had a moment of guilt why didn't I go get a drink of water so I could have seen what was happening? But it wasn't supposed to be. What if I found him and stopped him? Who would have benefited me or him? As you all know his heart was so broken and it couldn't heal. So while I would have had more time with him he would have just hurt more. And mom's don't want you to hurt. I want you all too know thay in a hundred years when I finally pass away, because I am not going before then, you will all need to take cover because after I hug him and kiss him I will kick his butt ask over heaven like he has never seen for hurting all of us.
Rich and I would like say thank you to all of you for everything. I hope that I can touch lives the way Jared has in 17 short years. I do have a request of all of you. When you sit down to eat, shut your phones off and enjoy the conversations. When you go to bed leave then in your kitchen to charge so you can get rest, talk to God, and escape from any fall things in your life.
We love you all. If there is someone he tonight that you don't know please introduce yourself and talk as Jared would have. He never knew a stranger.
Waverly, Illinois
I shared things I did and didn't know about Jared. .. hope you enjoy.
I did know he was stubborn, I didn't know how stubborn.
I did know he learned to count from me counting 1...2....3 timeout, I didn't know he could solve trigonometric problems with ease.
I did know he had a gift to gab, I didn't know he was using it to uplift his peers.
I did know he was kind and giving, I didn't know it was my pocket the giving was coming from.
I knew I would miss him someday, i Just didn't know how much.
I knew he was always the last to leave, I didn't know he was insuring everyone was safe.
I knew he was hurting, I didn't know how much.
I knew he had a connection to God, I didn't know how deep that connection was.
I knew he wanted to be the Keeper on the World Cup Team, I didn't know he wouldn't get a chance to.
I knew he was late getting home from games, I didn't know he was making sure his female AD was getting to her car safely.
I knew he was kind to those with special needs, I didn't know he spoke to a bout with Aspburgers each day to make him feel special.
I knew he had two speeding tickets, Rich did not.
I knew our tab at The Mill was extremely high a few times, I did not know he was buying our friends drinks on our tab.
I knew he loved crazy hair cuts, I didn't know how happy they would make me now to think about.
I knew he wanted to study engineering in college, I didn't know he was looking ay a small Christian College with a developing soccer program.
I knew he was a normal teenager, I didn't know he and friends drank an entire bottle of tequila. ... if I had he would have been woke up with loud music.
I knew he had lots of friends, I didn't know just how many.
I knew he was productive of me, I didn't know how far he would go to do that.
I know I said Good Night Jared Love You a Night Mom love you too. ..I didn't know they would be the last words spoken or heard between us.
I knew he went pier jumping, I still dont really know what that is.
I knew Jared drive my Cadillac on the back roads between Waverly and New Berlin after his father's visitation (age 13), Rich just found out.
I knew he was am awesome keeper, I didn't know I wouldn't see him get to his goal of the World Cup.
Thank you to everyone who brought a tractor and who shared that hobby with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment