09.23.25 It's been eight years now....

Ryan Michael Archer 8/18/96- 9/23/17 (21 yrs)

     Not much you can say. Death. Dead. Gone. Forever. Some sooner, or too soon, then later. If it's not the age, as in young, then it's the means. Medical, traumatic, self-induced, or victim of a crime. Those only add to the confusion and the pain. Now, for those that are dead, there is no pain, and hopefully they are all in that better place we call heaven. I'm a believer in that.

     Burying a kid. Yeah, that sucks. They say it shouldn't happen, but for a million people out there it does. For some, they bury two, or all of them, before it's their time. That must really suck. 

     I think the thing that bothers me most, besides him being dead, is that I will never to get to see what he would have become. Stupid smart, musically gifted, a real nice all around kid. I would have liked him to be seated with the family at Tara's wedding this past weekend, or at family dinners, or maybe even out fishing. But I what I think I would have wanted to see the most is him happily married with his own family. 

     I think when your kid passes before you you at first think of them everyday, and that hurts, and then you don't think of them everyday, but when you do, it hurts more. It's all part of it. It's the gift that keeps on giving. And I won't even get into the whole suicide thing, and me being in the business, go figure, right? 

     Time doesn't totally heal all the wounds but time does help them scab over. But they can easily picked open and that isn't always pleasant when they do. I try and stay positive and remember the good times and the good, well great things, about Ryan.

I sure do hope he's up there with his buds, and hopefully he's met some of my family and friends as well. I know one day we will meet again...