It is hard to imagine not celebrating Zach’s birthday with him this year, but this particular blog post will be a tribute to him~this is me saying “Happy Birthday Zach!”
On July 27th, 1998, a sweet little boy weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces came into our lives and won the hearts of each of his family members. Two years prior to his birth, Mark’s mother, Marilyn, came to us and said she had a dream of a little boy that was supposed to come to us and that he was so cute. Well, he was “so cute!” His big sister, Chelsea, wanted to come to the hospital and be there when he was born~she was 12 at the time. I remember watching her as the doctor got Zach and gave him to the nurses. She literally had tears of joy as he came into this world. She was the first person to hold him and begged to name him…and so we let her name Zach.
As he grew, his bright smiling eyes along with his grin and giggle always brightened our day and warmed our hearts. He was always busy and had to get into everything and climb on everything. I believe by the time he was 4 he had 3 head injuries all of which required going to get stitches.
I remember how much he loved McDonald’s Happy Meals…(and yes, the cardiologist I live with gave me many lectures on how bad that was for him). I remember Mom babysitting him once and she took him to McDonalds and upon ordering he told Mom, “cheeseburger happy meal, no pickles, no onions, with a chocolate shake.” Mom and I still chuckle about that.
He loved being with his Dad and doing things with him. Mark told me once that Zach had told him that he wanted Mark to be his best friend just like Rachel is Mom’s best friend. I believe they were. They went camping, golfing, fishing, and skiing. I remember a few months before he passed away, Mark and Zach were going to the movie and I would be home alone. Zach reassured me that “Mom, this is just guy stuff.” Oh, how I still smile at the things he would say.
The day before Zach passed away, I had gone into his room to put some things away in his closet. Zach was sitting at his computer and turned to look at me and said, “Mom, I love you.” He then got up from his chair, came up to me and put his arm around me. He even pulled me close to him and repeated, “I really do love you Mom.” What a gift he gave me before he left this earth…
Zach, I love you with all my heart as I do each of my children, their spouses, my grandchildren and your father. This Friday, the 27th, your 14th birthday, at Dixie Regional Medical Center, we are having the “Trees of Light and Life” lit in your honor. Many of your friends, family, and our friends will be there when the lights come on. I am bringing you a bouquet of balloons to be released that will float away with messages from all of us to you. You truly are and will be forever in my heart. I look forward to the day that we will meet again~I anticipate a joyous reunion…even beyond my comprehension. Happy Birthday son~Love, Mom
If you haven't seen it, I am attaching the link of the video of his life that a wonderful friend made for his funeral and for us to treasure.
Thanks for sharing your memories. They're very touching.
ReplyDeleteI loved this Mommy! I forgot about a lot of these things, and it was so fun to read about it again. Love you lots!
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