This week I am both heartbroken and grateful. I am heartbroken by the death of my friends twenty-one year old son. He was not just their son, he was my son. He was a part of my heart and my life since he was eight. He was my oldest son’s friend, confidant, playmate and teammate. He was our families treasure, our hope, our joy. He was a member of our “family” not by birth but by our choice.
Needless to say I am sad, but I am eternally grateful to have had Richard in my life. I was proud to watch his dreams become reality academically, on the basketball court, and as he created his own family. He will live on in my heart. He will live on in his young wife and their newborn son. He was a gift from GOD. A beautiful perfect gift that I will continue to treasure. I will look to him to comfort his parents, my children, and the entire community of “family” that loved him.
• I will be grateful every time I see the sun shining bright like his smile.
• I will be grateful when I pass the outdoor basketball courts where we used to play.
• I will be grateful for all of the time I had with him before GOD called him away.
• I will be grateful to see little pieces of him in his son’s eyes.
• I will be grateful because I know love never dies!
Rest in Heaven Richard Castillo.
Homecoming January 28, 2012