~~~~~
Sinking
Afterthoughts
Volume
Two
Mandy
Edwards
Published by SkyofSonnets Ltd.
Copyright 2011
Mandy Edwards
Cover Image Copyright © 2011 Mandy Edwards
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Remembering
Saturday,
April 07, 2007
Christopher Jaros died this morning.
Chris was
my cousin... I loved him like my brother. You see, the family that we
belong to is very tight knit, so to speak. We have family reunions
and we do holiday gatherings where relatives from all over the
country stumble upon the snow covered doorstep of our loving Aunt
Tootsie's home. We have known this ritual forever. Kids play with
toys in the floor and run through the house, everyone eats way too
much of the delicious made-from-scratch food or sneak to play some
fun chords on the piano while grown ups are busy talking and
cooking... but here, in this family, kids are not a separate entity
from the adults. We all interact, talk, hug, laugh and even (as
unreal as it sounds) sing... yep I remember actually sitting around
an uncle or aunt singing Christmas carols... life is so simple when
you're little...
even the hard stuff.
Chris was right
around the age of my brother, Jonathan. Jason, Chris' brother, was
close enough to my age that we could sit and pick on our siblings
together, as siblings do. But as anyone could tell, we thought the
world of our little brothers.
When I was old enough I would
babysit them. It was only a few times, but it was fun. When I was
around Jason and Chris, I felt like I belonged to a family again. I
had someone to take care of again. They became my little brothers. To
this day, that is how I feel about them.... and I forever will.
We
all grew up, as kids do, and we had our own families to care for.
Life gets hectic and family gets lost in the shuffle. But it never
did get misplaced by Chris... dear, sweet Chris. We went a couple of
years without seeing one another, but as soon as we did, it was the
same as it ever was... Chris... quiet, joking, wise and light-hearted
boy.
The last time I saw him... "Why didn't you come to
the get together for Christmas?" he asked. "I didn't want
to cause any awkward moments." I answered as I hugged him around
the neck, standing on tiptoe. "That's ridiculous, YOU'RE
FAMILY." I will never forget his face... his words... That is
family.
Chris died this morning while on his way to help
someone else... someone he did not even know. While the city slept,
he was awake, driving to save a life, when he lost his. The world
will be a less kind place now that this man is no longer with us.
This boy that grew up in front of our eyes...
…grew up behind
my back as we were playing hide and seek or tag… “1, 2, 3, 4…
I’m counting! You guys better hide better this time! “
…his
heart was too big for this world....