"You can always find things in life to upset you. I like to look at the positive things. I remember when I was a freshman I used to get upset over, in retrospect, the stupidest things...now I rarely ever let anything get to me. Amazing what a couple of years do to ya, huh?"
Matt Beard ~ June 15, 2006
MATTHEW WILLIAM BEARD
JANUARY 20, 1985 ~ DECEMBER 29, 2006
MY SON, MY WORLD, MY HERO
The Day The Earth Stopped Spinning
When I lost my child the earth ceased to spin.
The moon will not rise, the tide won’t come in.
The sun insists on having its way,
Blasting its rays and rising each day.
Another day comes, my child is not here;
Another day comes, I live my worst fear.
Each morning I wake with the same painful thought;
Why am I here when my sweet child is not?
All moments that pass I question this fate;
While other lives carry on, I sit and I wait.
I wait for an answer, for some reason why…
Praying for it to be me that could die.
Through my sorrow and grief I have made a life choice;
To keep my son’s memory alive and give him a voice.
I share stories of my son and the man he would be;
A boy who lived life and was a hero to me.
Who would grow up and make the world a better place.
Who would save the seas and the oceans from the human race
When I lost my child the earth ceased to spin.
But the moon still must rise and the tide must come in.
And since the sun insists on having its way,
I will live in my child’s memory each and every day.
~Kim Turner, written for his Mom in memory of Matthew Beard
1/20/85 – 12/29/06
Were you one of the Lucky Ones?
Did you get to meet the one that lived every day as if it were his last?
Did you see that smiling face, did you hear his infectious laugh?
Did you know the one that had a hug for even the ones that fussed at him?
Did you ever go somewhere and know when the life of the party arrived?
Did you know the one that could make the best of the worst situation?
Did you feel like you were a special person around him?
Did you ever feel so loved?
Were you one of the lucky ones... THAT GOT TO MEET MY SON?
HE WHO IS MY SON
As a baby, I cuddled you in my arms And smothered your sweet face with kisses. I vowed I would never let you go.
As a child, I pushed you to study hard And learn all the good things From the world around you.
As a young man, I encouraged you To follow your dreams And be passionate about all your choices.
And then I did the hardest thing I ever had to do… That which I vowed I would never do… I let go.
~author Suzy Toronto
I should have never let go that night....I should have begged you to stay home with me. Don't go diving, Matt. Stay home. Please.
Be sure to visit Matthew's Custom Pages at the top of the screen.
Please light a candle for Matt - to Matt - before leaving.
