Missing Will

Happy Birthday In Heaven To Our William

2011-09-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Today you would have been 25 years old, our

Sweet William...yet you will be Forever 19!

We remember so well the day that you were

born and how happy we were to have a

new little son...your Dad's best buddy in

the whole world.

Word's cannot describe how much we miss

you down here on earth, but we know you

must be having the time of your life

up in heaven.

We would have chosen to keep you here

with us, of course, but God had a

much different plan for your life.

We will never understand the "why" but

when we get to heaven the "why" will not

matter anymore...so long as we are

all together in Heaven with our Creator!

We just wanted to take this time to let

the whole world know that we remembered

your birthday and let them know what

a precious gift you were to our family for

the short time you were here...

To some, 19 years might seem like a long

time, but to us, it flew by on the wings

of the wind.

We hung an orange wind chime up at

your place at Mount Vernon, so you, our

'Wind-Dancer' could make it sing to the world.

If our love alone could have kept you alive...

You'd be alive still!

Forever loving you...

Forever in our hearts...

Forever 19...

Forever Young...

Forever Will!

XOXO to you in

Heaven our Little Brown Boy

What's In A Name...

2011-06-23T03:02:00.000-07:00

The Reynolds Family ~ August 2004

When we found out we were having another baby...our daughter, Charlotte Grace Miquélle, had just turned 9 months old...We knew earlier than usual because of a very bad three car accident, in which we were in the middle of two cars going over 55-65 mph at the time of the crash, while on our way up Highway 50, taking Charlotte on her very first trip to the snow on January 1, 1986. On top of the other injuries, I was cramping & bleeding after the accident which required further exams & tests to find out what was wrong. And... Yes! We were very shocked, yet extremely happy none-the-less...but with the happiness was also great fear of miscarriage because of the accident...I'd lost my first baby at just 12 weeks...2 days before what would have been my first Mother's Day in May of 1984, so with these early problems, we were so afraid we would lose this baby too. The doctor put me on complete bed rest for 8 weeks, which was near to impossible with a baby learning how to walk. I could not keep her in bed with me, so I tried laying on the couch as much as I could while my husband was at work.

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Our last Christmas together as a family, South Lake Tahoe, CA ~ December 18, 2004

As the months went by we didn't want to tell anyone that we were going to have another baby because we were afraid we would lose this one just like our first....I hid my pregnancy until I was six months along...staying home with my daughter most of the time. When the doctor told us we would probably get through the pregnancy okay and that everything looked like it was alright with the baby despite the accident, we told all of our family and friends at the Fourth of July Picnic at our church because a lot of our family went there too. We remember, OH SO WELL, the looks of shock on everyone's faces when they found out our baby was due on September 28...just three months from that date -12 weeks and 2 days to be exact! Waiting to tell everyone was worth it just from the remembrance of the utter surprise at the due date!!! I wish we'd thought to take a photo of their faces when they learned how short a time was left because normally when people find out they're expecting and tell everyone they are usually about 6 weeks along and here I was 6 months along...it was priceless and I don't really know how I kept it from showing for the last 2 months...well I do know...but that's a secret!

Anyway...for all of my babies...the moment I found out we were going to have a child I would begin the search for the perfect names...the combining of which with our last name would have a true significance and refinement about it...we wanted our children's name to have a distinct and memorable meaning to each one. We labored over the names the thousands of names and combinations of names (and remember, there wasn't high speed internet to easliy speed through search engines and resources - we did it the 'old fashioned' way with books and libraries!) researching the meanings of every name. We believed that the naming of our child was significant and important because it would express who our child was...what they would become in life. A name can sometimes make or break a child's personality, spirit and destiny.

I recently read this passage from Ann Voskamp's, "One Thousand Gifts" a New York Times Bestseller. It pretty much sums up why the naming of our children was so important to us, taking months of research before we came up with the perfect combination...Ann Voskamp wrote this:

"Naming is Edenic.
I name gifts and go back to the Garden and God in the beginning who first speaks a name and lets what is come into existence. This naming is how the first emptiness of space fills: the naming of light and land and sky. The first man's first task is to name. Adam completes creation with his Maker through the act of naming creatures, releasing the land from chaos, from the teeming, indefinable mass. I am seeing it too, in the journal, in the face of the Farmer: naming offers the gift of recognition. When I name moments - string out laundry and name - pray, thank You, Lord, for bedsheets in billowing winds, for fluff of sparrow landing on line, sun winter warm, and one last leaf still hanging in the orchard - I am Adam and I discover my meaning and God's, and to name is to learn the language of Paradise. This naming work never ends for all the children of Adam. Naming to find an identity, our identity, God's.
It's late, and in the lamplight when the bones finally rest, I read and turn a page and run unexpected into these words,

"Now in the Bible a name...reveals the very essence of a thing, or rather its essence as God's gift...To name a thing is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it, to know it as coming from God and to know its place and function within the cosmos created by God. To name a thing, in other words, is to bless God for it." [Alexander Schmemann, "For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy"]
I read the words again. The heart palpitates hard. I don't hear the clock or the slosh hum of the dishwasher. All I can see, think, is that my whim writing of one thousand gratitudes, the naming of moments - this is truly a holy work.
This naming really does call now a gift, a gift of God. I read again: "To name a thing is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it." [Alexander Schmemann, "For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy"]
I look at a day, a thing, an event in front of me, and it may look manna-strange: "What is it?" But when I name it, the naming of it manifests its meaning: to know it comes from God. This is gift! Naming is to know a thing's function in the cosmos - to name is to solve mystery.
In naming that which is right before me, that which I'd otherwise miss, the invisible becomes visible.
The space that spans my inner emptiness fills in the naming.
I name. And I know the face I face.
God's! God is in the details; God is in the moment. God is in all that blurs by in a life - even hurts in a life.
GOD!
How can I not name? Naming these moments may change the ugly names I call myself.
I put a pen to journal, a name to solve, and I shake it when it runs dry, trace circles, and I coax out the ink........This training might prove to be the hardest of my life. It just might save my life." Excerpt is from a wonderful book called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. She is on a journey through grief and loss and pain to "Dare to LIVE FULLY Right Where You Are: One Thousand Gifts." (Ann Voskamp)

When I read this yesterday, I remembered how important choosing the names for our children had been to me, to us...if naming animals and each piece and element of creation down to the smallest atoms, neutrons, protons and electrons were so important to God...how much more important then, is the naming of a newborn human Child, a Living Soul who will return to their Creator someday!

In the Bible it even states the importance of a choosing a good name: "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold." Proverbs 22:1 KJV", and "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth." Ecclesiastes 7:1 KJV

As I said previously, in choosing our children's names, we wanted each name's meaning to portray who and what our children would become as they grew older...and thus we chose these names for our little ones: (Read below for meaninds and reasons why we chose these names.)

Charlotte Grace Miquélle Reynolds
Charlotte: Little & womanly, Free, Strong
Grace: Grace of God, Elegance, Beauty
Miquélle: (version of Michelle) Who is like the Lord
We wanted our daughter to grow up to be "Free" and "Strong" while at the same time being truly "Feminine, Womanly"...(I liked the part that said it also meant "Little" because I always felt like I stood out like a sore thumb in school because I was usually the tallest girl in my class throughout grade-school and junior-high!) We wanted her life and heart to be filled with and covered by the "Grace of God" which would give her a "Beautiful Elegance" so that when people thought of her they would think of "One Who is Like the Lord".

William Vincent Alexander Reynolds
William: Strong-willed Warrior, Protector
Vincent: Victorious
Alexander: Defender of the People
We wanted our son to grow up to have a "Will that was Strong" and not inclined to be a follower, but a leader of all that is true and right before God. One willing to "Fight for what was good and honest", to be a "Strong Protector" to all of his loved ones, the underprivileged, his country..to be a "Defender of the People", unwilling to allow injustice or cruelty to man or beast.
Our Surname being Reynolds means to counsel or govern.

Many hours were spent choosing these names for our children...and as I look back at their personalities, their temperaments, their reputations...who they grew up to be...they pretty much fit the meanings behind their names.

Our daughter, Charlotte, is small and feminine, but she is also has a tremendous inner strength about her that I wish I had...She never ceases to amaze me with her energy and usual good cheer! She has a free-spirited creativity about her that makes one sit up and take notice for sure...

I brought home from the hospital this little, tiny, adorable baby girl with a head full of dark hair that I couldn't wait to comb and give a little curl on top!...This little darling filled my heart with such a fierce maternal love like I'd never known before the moment I knew I was having a child- that love growing steadily as the weeks and months passed by, but when she was placed in my arms for the first time...the love was so strong and protective that I was instantly ready to fight to the death to keep her safe from harm of any kind. I would give my very life to protect and cherish this precious gift that God blessed us with...and God help anyone who ever tried to hurt her! I was officially a Mamma Tiger!

Charlotte Grace Miquélle was born into this world with her huge, brown eyes wide open @ 1:21 a.m. A full two weeks ahead of her due date, because she just couldn't wait any longer to finally be free of the dark womb that had cradled her for 8 & 1/2 months...she was more than ready to explore the shiny, bright new-world that now surrounded her in a most dramatic fashion! A "flair for the dramatic" we called it when she was as she was growing up! She was a night owl from the moment she was born, up all hours of the night and a lot throughout the day too...I couldn't believe how very short her sleeps were! How could this baby grow if she wouldn't sleep! She had too much living to do to waste time sleeping, I guess...
I remember vividly how curious she was as she'd poke around at her new brother when he was born, trying to discover what this little tanned brown baby with all the black hair was doing in our house when this was her castle...she was Daddy's Princess, and now she had to share her daddy! Yet she'd still try to cradle him in her arms like she had watched me do...so curious to explore all the nooks and crannies of the little mewling stranger who would become her best friend in the world.

I look at her now as she's expecting her very first little one and I see this grown up child of mine...remembering every stage of her growth over the years all the dresses and outfits I made her with matching socks and hair accessories...clothing that started out so tiny and ended with the unique matching bolero jacket I made for her to wear to over her beautiful strapless wedding gown...making three trips to the gigantic fabric store, Brytex, in San Francisco, just to match the lace and fabric and beading etc. of her wedding gown so her special day would be absolutely perfect! Yet...how did the years go by so fast? When I look at my "baby girl" I see a gorgeous, delightful, classy young lady that has come into her own in a grand way...Her heart is filled with the grace of God that shows in her elegant beauty...so much so that she takes my breath away and makes me wonder how I had anything to do with such an exquisitely beautiful being...I am filled with awe and wonder every time I see my precious daughter!

Our son was born with a strong will! He was born on his due date...determined not to come a minute sooner (like Charlotte who was exactly two weeks early...she wanted to be FREE!!!) or a minute later - though I tried all the old wives tales to get him to come sooner because I was in so much pain from the accident. Dr. Polansky, who delivered our daughter too, though it would be another tiny girl, like Charlotte, because of the faster heartbeat like she had, and the fact that I'd only gained nine and a half pounds with this pregnancy as opposed to Charlotte where I gained 36 pounds. So I made two of the cutest dresses to bring "her" home in because I couldn't decide which one I liked best...then after the first time I was sent home two days before he was born, I began to have this feeling deep inside that it would be a boy...the feeling wouldn't go away, so I stayed up that night and made a little Knickers set with the scraps of the burgundy fabric I had left over from the outfit I made myself for my first date with my husband Matt & (it pay to keep your scraps, especially if you are sewing for babies!) I found some matching pin-striped cotton and made a little dress shirt and matching burgundy bow tie..."just in case"!
The doctor also kept saying that he thought this one would be born a couple of weeks after the due date because of the small amount of weight gained telling me the baby need to gain more weight to be healthier...then when I did go into labor 3 times I was sent home because the contractions would stop between 2-4 hours...the second and third time they sent me home I begged for Pitocin to induce and continue labor instead of the stop/start, stop/start, stop/start, that was going on...(see this child was already pushing the envelope & he wasn't even born yet!) On the way home each time, I cried profusely, wondering when this little one would decide to be born already! This went on for two and a half days. Finally the day before his due date arrived, 9/27/86...the labor pains started again, but this time, I was determined I would NOT go to the hospital again unless they lasted longer than well past 4 or even 5 hours...but this time (probably because I was determined NOT to go like I'd done the last three times for fear of being sent home!) this baby was DETERMINED I would go so he began early that morning kicking around while I hung on through the contractions all that day while Matt was at work. I just knew they were going to stop again- they didn't stop after 6 hours...or even 8 hours and I was miserable as we got ready to go to bed that early that evening...and then at last my water finally broke at 7:15 on the evening of the 27th...this baby was going to make me go! But at least this time, I knew they couldn't send me home...the whole day and all through the night past midnight and through the early morning hours, but NOW it was his due date, September 28th, 1986, and he was ready to be born and it was almost 5:00 a.m.! During the delivery, the cord was wrapped tightly around his neck twice and the baby wasn't crying, but I didn't know if it was a boy or girl yet because the doctor was working frantically to get the cord off and get the it to breathe. I'll never forget not only the first of look of panic when the baby's cord was wrapped around its neck, but also the look of incredible, wide-eyed surprise on Dr. Polansky's face after the baby finally started crying. He was seriously stunned! He looked up and said, "Well this baby's definitely NOT little and it's definitely NOT a girl!!! I'd gained 9 lbs. 8 oz during the full 9 months and this baby was no six pounder like my first one...He was 9 lbs. 3 oz.!!! I couldn't believe how big he was. It was like having Charlotte at three months old!

Though determined to come into this world with a "Will" of Iron on no other date than his due date, he slept through the night, every night, from the first night home from the hospital...but when he started crawling and walking and learning what "no" meant...he'd 'push every button we had' so to speak, just as far as he could, as he started wobbling on unsteady feet while walking around the furniture reaching for everything in sight...then, when I'd tell him not to touch something he would keep on reaching for it even though, I would lightly swat his little hand and say 'no' over and over...it got to the point that he would reach up with one finger and get as close to the forbidden object as possible with that one long, pudgy brown finger as he'd look up at me with those huge, brown eyes...it was like a game because it was hilarious to watch, but I had to keep trying not to laugh and be stern but it was that adorably, mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he watched to see what I would do all the while, that one little index finger reaching out from his chubby fist to try to touch things he knew he shouldn't....and I knew we had our Strong-Willed Warrior!

He was a happy-go-lucky/nothing seemed to bother him kind of child...he'd play so hard that often times in the evening after his bath, sometimes even before his bath, we'd find him curled up somewhere sound asleep. Just play hard...and sleep hard...and eat hard!
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Tuckered out after our first day at Disney Land

This little boy would grow up to be extreme in everything he set out to do! William loving sports and anything that reeked of "extreme". He didn't let things get him down very often. I only remember a handful of times when he was discouraged & most of that was because he wasn't allowed to get his permit at 15 & 1/2 years like Charlotte did...why??? Because of his strong-willed determination to take the Orange Chevy Pickup out in the middle of the night right before he could've gotten his permit...and yep...you're right...An officer that was off duty, saw the orange truck and pulled him over....when he was asked for his driver's license and registration of course he didn't have a license, just a California ID card for his banking and the truck was registered to his Dad! Instead of taking him to the precinct, the kind officer brought William home and impounded the truck he loved so much...so he had to wait until he was 18 to get his license...that was a longest 2 & 1/2 years of his life, he always said...but we knew if he didn't learn to be responsible, especially while driving a vehicle that could take another's life, while he was young...it would be too late to try and teach him responsibility if we gave in and let him get his permit. But even without a car he was determined to get to the places he needed to go! He worked hard and earned enough money to buy a nice mountain bike...that way if we were at work or Charlotte wasn't home to take him, Will could and would ride his bike all over creation...clear up to El Dorado Hills for swim practices and meets, train and swim for hours and ride all the way back home....Rode to Folsom Aquatics center worked as a lifeguard/swim coach with kids for eight hours a day and ride home...he wouldn't let having no car/license get him down. He would be victorious! He would win. One of his favorite songs was "You Can't Bring Me Down" by Pillar.

From the time he was old enough to play with G.I. Joe's...he loved his army toys the best of all, next were the Hot Wheels, then Tonka Trucks, then Legos...but his G.I. Joes and army vehicles, jets, etc. were always his favorite. He kept switching back and forth between what specialty force he wanted to be in the military when he grew up-with military posters always adorning his walls many of which are still there today! Around his 6th birthday, he was sure he wanted to be a Special Tactics fighter pilot flying a F-117 Stealth Bomber....so trying to be a good Mommy, I made a full sheet cake and cut it in the shape of his favorite toy at the time...yep the F-117 Stealth Bomber complete with fiery orange icing coming out the tail in flames!

Needless to say, I think it was always his favorite cake of all times! From the time he was little, he was always just about as big as Charlotte, but if he was playing too rough or she'd fall off her tricycle or skin a knee...he'd always be right there by her side, patting on her and saying..."It's okay Char-Char, be a G.I. Joe...you don't need to cry b'cuz G.I. Joe's are tuff!" He kept on saying things like that throughout the years until it became a traditional family catch-phrase "Awe, C'mon...be a G.I. Joe!" translated: "Don't freak out, it's no big deal...you'll live!" Yes, we still say it today & I'm sure we'll all teach it to Charlotte's itty bitty baby bump when the time comes!

Will would make crazy camouflage-wear for himself to play capture the flag & other 'stealth' games during the warm summer and fall nights with his cousins and friends at the old, abandoned 1800's dairy farm that used to be across the street from us on many acres, before they tore it down to put in crowded, modern, new homes-sigh...the teens 'war-games paradise' was gone, but...His creations were so awesome that he'd look like a hugea black & green swamp monster...or some other freakishly scary creature we couldn't see until he scared the wits out of us! Even our Flat-Coat Retriever, Dolly, who LOVED William, was barking and growling at him when he came out like that!!! It was hilarious but creepy too!

When Delta Force become involved in the offensive in Afghanistan in 2001 after 9/11, he was on the internet every day looking up news stories about the war...it continued on through Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and April of 2004 during Operation Phantom Fury...he'd follow the news reports counting down the time until he could join...And, Just two weeks before our son's tragic accident that took his life, he had taken the test to become an Army Ranger with his ultimate goal of becoming a member of the Delta Force - the élite army unit involved in counterterrorist operations abroad - He loved anything and everything stealth and would have made an excellent Delta Force operator for covert or reconnaissance missions...talk about both of our children living up to their names!

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Charlotte's Dental College Graduation with her "Big-Little" Brother Wee-um! (as she always called him from her first time saying his name!)
Charlotte Graduated as the Salutatorian, Just 2/10ths of a percent from the highest in her class! December 2004

Yes, "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold." Proverbs 22:1, and "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth." Ecclesiastes 7:1 KJV

The only thing I didn't understand was the part of the scripture verse that says how "the day of death is better than the day of one's birth" or the verse that says: "Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his saints." Psalms 116:15...until recently because of this scripture: "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." ll Corinthians 5:8 KJV.

Yes, it is extremely hard to lose a child to death in such a tragic way, when we love them with all of our heart and soul...yes, it's difficult to keep on living...trying to find a new normal when all of our hopes and dreams for our children are shattered in a just a moment of time...but instead of looking at William's death only through the eyes of this life...after five and a half years of my eyes being washed over many, many times with the tears of grief...I am beginning to have days when my eyes are clear enough through the many washings of tears, that it has opened a new view of our son's passing by seeing this loss through the eyes of eternity...our William is no longer with us but he IS in the presence of his Maker, his Heavenly Father...

He knows no suffering or heartache, he will never ever feel hurt or pain again. No cancer...no disease or sickness of any kind can touch ever him in heaven...there is no overwhelming stress from this daily thing we call life...He now dwells in the secret place of the Most High...He is walking streets of gold in the Divine presence of the One who designed and created him to share with us for 19 years. If I close my eyes, I can see our son dancing his way down streets of gold, worshipping his Maker, basking in such glorious joy and rejoicing in the light of the purest love of all with Jesus who gave His life so that our son could be saved...these are experiences that we can only dream of! He doesn't want to come back to earth...he wants us to come to heaven. So, though losing our son is so very hard to bear for we who are left here on earth grieving his death...we must remember always, that the day of his death took him out of this world of sin and into the presence of the Only, True and Wise, Almighty God...the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. One can only try to imagine what that must feel like...I think God is really lucky to have my son up there with him...I just can't wait for that great day when we can all be there together....Oh I can only imagine!

There is one last thing I remember about how he was so determined he would never get old...just a few weeks before his accident, when I was taking him to the DMV to report his motorcycle wreck (it wasn't bad, thank God, but it really shook him up & made him wake up and pay attention not only to his driving but to life as a whole and rededicating his life to God)...well, we were stopped at a red light and a very old man, who was bent almost in half with arthritis...was hobbling slowly, slowly, slowly across the street. It was so sad to watch him struggle to try to walk while in so much pain with family around to give him a ride...William watched him the whole way and then put his hand on my arm and said to me, "Mom, I don't ever want to get old, not ever. I don't want to be like that or be sick with a stroke like Gramma Pierce or get hit by a car while walking because I'm too old to drive like Grampa Pierce was at 93...Mom I just won't ever get old...not ever, nope, not ever...I promise you that!" I stopped him at once and begged him to, "Please never say that again...Never say you'll never get old...Please Will, Please, because that would mean you'd have to die young and I could never bear to lose you! It would break my heart!"
I remember so well the loving yet mischievous look in his eyes as he just patted my arm and said, "Don't worry Mom, I won't get old because we'll all go up to heaven in the rapture first...I didn't mean I would die young...don't worry Mom okay I'll be fine, Just be a G.I. Joe okay? I don't want you to worry. I'll be fine!" He reached over and hugged me once more...Oh, had I been able to see into the future, just a few weeks from that day, I would have kept him with us 24/7 and never let him out of our sight...but children become young people...they go to school or work, and we cannot hold their hands forever...though I would have if I could have...I miss his "boy-hugs so very much! We love you forever and miss you till heaven our Sweet William! xoxo

p.s. If anyone read all the way to the end of this post, I would love for you to leave a comment!

Father's Day 2010

2011-06-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today is Father's Day & you should be celebrating your Dad with Charlotte...but all we have his memorials of your anniversary or your birthday...yet still at each one your Dad lets us all know how much he loves you & misses you & tells stories about the great times he had being your Dad & all your funny stories & we are missing you more than ever...You were your Dad's best buddy & he misses you so much...you are missing at his Father's Day dinner today. You should be with him...but God had other plans & my heart breaks a little more when I see your Dad miss you so much...it's just not right that you are no longer with us...that you will not be here to carry on the family name & that your Dad was so proud to have a son...so that our name would be kept alive...
If our love could have kept you alive...You'd be alive still, William...
Time cannot take away the hurt - It is impossible - One cannot merely turn the page as if it were a book and begin another chapter...The wound goes too deep...the agony of loss too great to heal. Part of our hearts and souls died when our son died...and we will never be the same people again...not ever, ever be the same people that we were before the accident...we are forever changed.
We miss our only beloved son dreadfully...I listen every day to the voicemail on my phone that he left me...calling just to tell me that he loved me...God knew I needed that message...I guess heaven needed our son more than we did...Is that possible?
I think of every moment of time we had with our only son & I count each moment as a beautiful treasure from heaven...given to us to enrich our lives! God truly blessed us with the best son in the whole world...our little brown boy....our Sweet William who was ornery & crazy & funny & lovable & silly and & downright cute! Oh dear God sometimes I think I will go mad with longing to have one of his "boy-hugs" again...William, we miss you so much...your crazy faces & your radiant white smile & the silly dances & jokes & pranks oh.....how can we bear it...no more music coming out of your room...your drums and bass guitar are still and silent.....& soon your room will have to be packed away because we have to leave our little "House of Dreams" our very first home that has so many carvings of your initials everywhere...
It's not right...I need to be in this our little home, to do your laundry & cook your meals & take care of you if you get sick...& just be your mum.....like I've always done....that is what I am supposed to do....so what do I do now? You are really truly gone & that is what is making me die on the inside & breaking my heart a little more every day...
Maybe we loved you too much? Is there such a thing?
Forever loving & missing you sweet William,
Pepe & Mums xoxo to you in Heaven Little Brown Boy. We love you for ever & miss you till heaven...

I Think William Would Be Proud...

2011-06-14T02:38:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 10, 2011 began a new era in our family...in our lives. Starting a new journey that I am so hoping to really change things, all kinds of things from our lives, to our attitudes, to the way we do things. I am hoping and praying for a complete miracle...which began to take effect at 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning...the journey continues a day a time and another huge step at 5:00 a.m. Tuesday.
I know this will make William proud and will make a huge difference in our lives over the coming months.
My only wish is that Will could be here to see the changes and most of all to see his new little niece or nephew due on January 1, 2011...but we're all praying for a December baby!!!
Wish us luck and Godspeed on our new journey to learn the art of living once again.

A Bereaved Parent's Wish List

2011-05-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

A Bereaved Parent's Wish List - Taken from The Road Less Traveled...and edited to fit My Own Personal Journey
1. I wish my son hadn't died - It should have been me in his stead.. I wish I had him back again, to love, to hold, to get his great big "boy-hugs" every day...to kiss his sun-browned cheeks.... I wish I knew what he would look like today and what he would have become when he was done "growing up". I wish he would be here in 7 months to see his new niece/nephew born...I wish you wouldn't be afraid to speak my child's name. My child lived and was very important to me. I need to hear that he was important to you as well.

2. If I cry and get emotional when you talk about my child, I wish you knew that it isn't because you have hurt me. My child's death is the cause of my tears. You have talked about my child, you spoke his name to me...the name we worked so long to perfect just for him...William Vincent Alexander Reynolds, when we get to tell or hear heart-warming stories about his life, then you have allowed me to share my blessed son with you by doing so and this is all a healing part of grief. I thank you for both.

3. I wish you wouldn't "kill" my child again by removing his pictures, artwork, or other remembrances from your home or suggest that I should remove them from my home or his room…and please don't criticize me when I post photos of him or express my feelings for him or refer to special memories on his memorial sites online…

4. Being a bereaved parent is not contagious, so I wish you wouldn't shy away from me, I do not have a plague...I need you more than ever.
5. I need diversions even though I must often avoid them because of the sheer physical pain that is so constant....but I need & want to hear about you; but grieving parents also need you to hear about them, and hear stories about their child. I might be sad and I might cry, but I wish you would let me talk about my child...that you wouldn't shy away from talking about my son, my children are my favorite topic of the day.

6. I know that you think of and pray for me often. I also know that my child's death pains you, too. It was nice when people would let me know things through a phone call, a card or a note, or a real big hug.

7. I wish you wouldn't expect my grief to be over in six months or even six years or sixteen years or even sixty years if I live that long. Those first months, even the first year were all very traumatic for me, but I was numb and in shock and really didn't "get" the awful finality and horror of it all until several years later when I was put on disability from my own car accidents and I only then had time to reflect and think and think about what had happened because I was no longer working 12-16 hour days 6-7 days a week just so that I wouldn't have to "think about what had happened"....so, I wish you could understand that my grief will never be over - it seems it has just truly started. I will suffer the death of my child until the day I die. I will grieve for my child as long as he is dead.

8. I am working very hard in my recovery, but I wish you could understand that I will never fully recover. I will always miss my child, and I will always grieve that he is dead.
9. I wish you wouldn't expect me "not to think about it" or to "be happy". Neither will happen for very long times so please don’t frustrate yourself by wishing me to be happy when I feel sad. Other's that have lost a child too have told me I need to "move on" or "that William wouldn't want me to be sad" but would he want me to "Forget him and go on with life as though he never lived? I CANNOT and WILL NOT do it....so please be patient with me if it is difficult for me to be happy like before or smile as much as I did before....because I feel sad and my heart is broken. And no...I hate pity and am not seeking nor do I want to have a "pity party," but I do wish you would let me grieve.
10. I must hurt before I can heal. You cannot heal what you cannot feel.....and know the healing is a life-long process, because grieving the loss of a child lasts the rest of your life...when I lost my parents...I lost my past...when I lost my child...I lost my future with him...and the present is now a daily journey down the road called grief that I never wanted or expected to take. No parent should ever have to out-live their child.

11. I wish you understood how my life has shattered. I know it is miserable for you to be around me when I'm feeling miserable so I try to stay alone when I'm feeling that badly...but please know that I isolate myself because of the pain I am feeling over the loss of my son so that others will not be "brought down" because I am down. I am trying to be respectful of my friends and even my family by doing this and it is not because I do not love you anymore.... Please be as patient with me as I am with you.

12. When I say, "I'm doing okay," I wish you could understand that I don't feel okay and that I struggle daily…but I say I’m okay to spare you the details of the brokenness that I feel inside, the emptiness and depression that often flood my soul…so I say that I’m doing okay….so that I won't bring others down with me into this black hole of grief.

13. I wish you knew that all of the grief reactions I'm having are very normal. Depression, anger, hopelessness and overwhelming sadness are all to be expected. So please excuse me when I'm quiet and withdrawn or irritable and even angry at times....know it is not because of you at all...I am grieving for my only beloved son.

14. Your advice to "take one day at a time" is excellent. I wish you could understand that I'm doing good to handle his death even an hour at a time and sometimes even just one minute at a time…because sometimes the grief is so overwhelming that it is hard to even take a breath at times and I feel like I will suffocate under the heavy, powerful grip of grief.

15. I wish you understood that grief changes people. When my child died, a huge part of me died with him. My heart has been shattered and broken into a million pieces....I am not the same person I was before my child died...and I will never be that person again.

16. I wish very much that you could understand - understand my loss and my grief, my silence and my tears, my void and my pain. But I pray daily that you will NEVER, EVER HAVE TO understand…that you will NEVER have to know the pain of losing a child either through miscarriage, stillbirth, or death at any age….

17. Please know that while I will never, ever be the same person I was before my son died, I am striving everyday to obtain a “new normal” but it is long and slow in coming. Today is five years, 5 months, and 22 days since my son went missing and 5 years, 5 months, and 18 days since his car was found at the bottom of the gully on highway 49 under 8 feet of water after hitting an oak tree and rolling the car down the ravine into that icy water on that awful December morning...No, DO NOT ask me if he was drunk or on drugs. He was not...the autopsy proved he was not and it hurts us to the very core when people ask us or even think it and tell other people that was what happened...He had only fallen asleep at the wheel on a long drive up the hill to his full time job, while in his first semester of college...he was just too tired to be driving that's all but it was enough....enough to change and break our family to pieces…..Even this long and it feels like just yesterday while at the same time feeling like it’s been a lifetime since I’ve seen his beautiful smile….had my last “boy-hug” and kissed his sun-browned cheeks….every moment of every day and sleepless nights I miss my son.
18. And last of all: Please do not tell me that I am setting my son up on a pedestal as an idol in my heart and that I am committing idolatry by doing this....I do NOT worship my son like I worship his Creator, my God…I only love my son and miss him here on earth...while I long for the day when we will all be together in Heaven with Jesus Christ and all of our family will once again be together, never to be parted again.

Oh William...My William...

2011-04-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

Oh William...My William...

Mums is missing you so much...My heart just hurts inside so badly that it is hard to even breathe...
I wonder on days like today, how one can go on living day to day with a pain so deep inside...but then I know that there is One...There is God...He is my strength and hope when my heart is hurting so badly...
I know that you are in His presence...I know that even if you could...you would not want to come back to this messed up world....I know that you are in a place of peace and joy and beauty...but it does not take the ache of missing my only beloved son away...
Just know, Sweet William, how much your mum and dad love you...Know that we would give anything to have you back again...And if our love could have kept you alive...You'd be alive still!
Ohhhhh....I miss my "boy-hugs"...I just miss you and your beautiful, radiant smile...your crazy dances on top of the car on the side of the freeway while you were waiting for dad to come with a new tire to fix your flat....You danced on top of that camaro until a Highway Patrol pulled over and made you get down because you were backing up traffic for miles!!! That is just the crazy kind of things you would do to make people laugh!!! We miss you Will, so much!
We love you with all of our hearts and souls and cannot wait to get to Heaven to be with Jesus and worship our God WITH you together again forever and ever!
OHHHHH I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU FOREVER !!!! I just can't say it enough!!!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Can you feel the love?

Celebrating William's Life

2011-03-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

They say there is a reason,
They say that time will heal,
But neither time nor reason,
Will change the way I feel,
For no-one knows the heartache,
That lies behind our smiles,
No-one knows how many times,
We have broken down and cried,
We want to tell you something,
So there won't be any doubt,
You're so wonderful to think of,
But so hard to be without.
~Author Unknown~

Thinking of you today William...
Remembering your smile, your
laughter, your crazy faces and silly,
crazier dances...your talent, your
strength, your sheer love of life
and zest for living...Today, I am
celebrating who you are within
my mother's heart....it is hard,
but it is very beautiful too...
I love you forever and miss
you till heaven! xoxo

All Through The Night

2011-03-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Oh my Sweet William…Mum is missing you so badly. My heart hurts with such a searing pain that it feels like knife twisting and slashing over and over and over…My heart is breaking…my soul is brought to the dust…I just want to die right now and go to heaven…me and dad and Char and be with you and Jesus forever..I’m hurting so bad I don’t know what to do…I cry out to God for help…for mercy…but when I cried for His mercy when they found your car underwater….no mercy came….like I feel today….that no matter how hard I cry out to Jesus…no matter how hard I pray…no mercy comes…no relief from the heart-wrenching pain.

I want to be able to smile for you….to be there for your Dad and Charlotte because I know how bad they are hurting too…oh dear God….why, why, why did it all have to happen this way…I cry out in my pain and grief…tears rush down my face like a river…Dear God forgive me for questioning your deity, your sovereignty…your decision to take William home even in such a horrible, tragic car accident...for you are the God that gives and takes away…God I’m so sorry. I know my little brown boy is in a better place but that can’t take away the grief and hurt inside of me…it is paralyzing me…I couldn't even think about anything else anymore as the 5 year anniversary of the day he went missing came and went this past Christmas of 2010.
I think of the days we spent fasting and praying and searching so hard for our son….it all comes back like a nightmare to scream over and over through my mind…never ending until I am overcome with weeping…Weeping is supposed to endure through the night and joy is supposed to come in the morning…this is the longest night I have ever lived…just over five years now…is it really true that it has been that long since we have seen our Sweet William? Is it really possible that it is really five years already???

It feels like just yesterday since I last saw your radiant smile and hugged you and told you I loved you and yet it feels like an eternity at the same time, since I was able to hold you and kiss your brown cheeks.…I miss you Will, more than mere words can even convey…I love you so much…you and Charlotte both…my two beacons of light and joy in this world…our two children…Maybe we loved too much and that is why God took you? To test our love for Him if He took someone we loved so dearly?

It makes me so fearful that we will lose Charlotte too…I get so afraid that God will take Charlotte or your Dad from me too…I know it is wrong to worry about that so much…but I cannot help it. The fear is overwhelming that something will happen to them too….Dear God…please tell William that I love him and that I cannot wait to leave this life and get to heaven to be there with you, my God, and be with my son William again forever. And in the meantime…Dear God…have mercy…spare the rest of my family…and heal my torn and broken heart so that once again I can smile for my Sweet William…please…

I Love You Forever

2010-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

I love you forever my Sweet William.

I know I say it all the time, but it is so true.

You filled our lives with such sunshine

and joy...I'm so glad we still have Charlotte

with us, I cannot even imagine if she had

taken you to work that day and you

had both been snatched away from

us in the blink of an eye...

My heart is with you always...

I just cannot wait to get to heaven...

I just love you forever and always and

miss you more than mere

words can convey...

Forever loving you and missing

your beautiful radiant smile,

Mums

xoxoxo to heaven

Broken Hearts

2010-12-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Broken hearts are not created or made...

they just happen...like life happens.

I know, I live day in and day out with

a heart that is broken in

millions of pieces.

If Jesus can heal the blind eyes,

if he can make the lame walk,

if he can raise the dead,

if he can heal the leper,

if he can free those

that are opressed,

if he can stop the issue of blood,

if he can calm the raging sea...

and he has done all these things...

then just maybe he will mend my

broken heart too...

The question is...does he want to?

I am missing you William,

more than words can say...

missing the fun you infused into

our family and all of the things you

would do to make us laugh...

I just miss you...

I love you so much...

I want you back,

but I cannot have you...

so Lord Jesus, please

take us all up there instead...

A Blog Post From William's Friend on 12/5/05

2010-12-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

I found this blog that was posted by one of William's friends from the very day we found William after four days of searching for our only beloved son...The shock is still unreal...the loss unbearable...without the Lord to help us I know we would not be here today....Please help us to pray that we can make it throughout this coming holiday season and the anniversary of the accident...December 2nd through the 5th...the day he was finally found.....We miss our son...our lil brown boy....our Sweet William beyond what mere words can say....I love you so much Will....xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo mums

Blog Post From one of William's Friends dated: Monday, December 05, 2005

R.I.P William Vincent Alexander Reynolds

Current mood: numb, and sad, and shocked beyond belief

Category: My Friend is Gone

Articles From NEWS 10:
Missing Roseville Teen Killed in Car Crash, Coroner Confirms:
The body recovered from a submerged car late Monday afternoon was that of 19-year-old William Reynolds, the Nevada County coroner confirmed today.
Reynolds' family, extended family, numerous friends, as well as detectives with the Roseville Police Department had been searching for him in the areas between his home and his workplace and were in the area near Lake of the Pines nearby when the car was found by Cal Trans workers. The family was told by the California Highway Patrol that they could not go to the accident site due to the severity of the crash and the car being found submerged under eight feet of water in a tributary of the Bear River. Traffic was snarled for several hours while the CHP and the Nevada County Sheriff's Department's dive rescue team responded to the scene.
Relatives reported Reynolds missing to the Roseville Police Department on Friday afternoon. He was last seen at about 6:30 Friday morning when he left his residence borrowing his girlfriend's blue Chevrolet Camaro (his motorcycle being in the shop) to go work at the Dark Horse Golf Course near Auburn. His family said he had overslept and was late for work. A CHP officer reported seeing a similar car traveling at a higher rate of speed the posted limit on Interstate 80 east of Highway 49, but did not attempt to pull the driver over. No comment was given by the officer regarding his decision not to make a traffic stop.
Reynolds was supposed to pick up his girlfriend (since he had borrowed her car) at 5 p.m. Friday but never showed up.

-News 10-
Roseville Police Department spokesperson Dee Dee Gunther says authorities have recovered what appears to be the body of a Roseville teen missing since last Friday.
Late Monday afternoon a Cal Trans crew spotted pieces of what appeared to be a blue car and then a car door, which led to a vehicle submerged in water off State Route 49, near Street Road in Nevada County. The crash site is a few miles west of Lake of the Pines. The California Highway Patrol and the Nevada County Sheriff's Department's dive rescue team responded to the scene. Several hours later, crews pulled up the vehicle, a blue Chevrolet Camaro with a license plate matching the vehicle operated by missing 19-year-old William Reynolds. Inside of the Camaro was a body carrying Reynolds' identification.
William Reynolds' family and a numerous search crew, including detectives from the Roseville Police Department, and CHP helicopters had been searching for him in the area for four days, were nearby the site of the crash at the time of the recovery.
Family members reported Reynolds missing to the Roseville Police Department on Friday. He was last seen at approximately 6:30 a.m. Friday, when he left his residence in Roseville, in his girlfriend's blue Chevrolet Camaro, en route to work at Dark Horse Golf Course in the Auburn area. It was said he had overslept and was late for work. A CHP officer reported seeing a similar car traveling within the speed limit, but swerving erratically on Interstate 80 just east of Highway 49. There is no information, from the CHP officer at this time, for failing to pull the driver over. An investigation is being conducted.
The CHP's Grass Valley office is investigating what appears to be a single car, traffic-related fatality due to the driver, William Reynolds, falling asleep at the wheel. An autopsy is being conducted which will determine probable cause.

-News 10-

My friend, William Vincent Alexander Reynolds, was an amazing guy. He was a body builder and a talented musician, and had a wonderful smile. Those teeth were so beautiful. He had every girl tripping in their shoes! His smile and his love was to his family and his girlfriend Erica. He fell in love with her on the first date! I was with them on my sister's birthday. I sat by Erica and she sat next to William. We had a great time laughing and joking. I know so many stories about this wonderful guy that I think he is still with us, till this day and forever!
I LOVE YOU WILLIAM AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART

Thank you, Jen, for posting your feelings and thoughts about our Will.

Day 2...Missing Will

2010-12-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

I am missing you today…just like every day that

goes by without you. It is hard to make it through

each one of them, missing you like I do.

I just wish things didn’t turn out the way

they did…I wonder why it had to happen,

especially like that?

I’ve read that God will not put on us more

than we can bear….is that really true?

Then why does it hurt so badly?

Why is my heart breaking like it is?

Why can’t I be strong and get through this???

I know I will never get over it…like

someone told me to do – I could not believe

it when someone told me that it had been

long enough and I should have gotten

over it by now? I will miss you as long

as you are gone...I will grieve for

you as until we are all in Heaven...

Together once again.

I am still stunned and in a state

of shock…and I still cannot believe that

you are really gone from us forever in

this life….I just want to hug my only

son one more time…Please God, Tell

my William that I love him

with all of my heart…please…

Five Years Ago Today...

2010-12-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

If our love could have kept you alive...You'd be alive still, William.

Time cannot take away the hurt - It is impossible - One cannot merely turn the page as if it were a book and begin another chapter...The wound goes too deep...the agony of loss too great to heal. Part of my heart and soul died when my son died...and I will never be the same person again. Yes, the Lord has helped me recently...to be able to have a measure of peace, where once I knew no peace at all...and for this I am eternally grateful...but I will never, ever be the same person I was before the accident...I am forever changed. I miss my only beloved son dreadfully...I listen every day to the voicemail on my phone that he left me...calling just to tell me that he loved me...God knew I needed that message...I guess heaven needed my son more than I did...Is that possible? I think of every moment of time we had with our only son and I count each moment as a beautiful treasure from heaven...given to us to enrich our lives! God truly blessed us with the best son in the whole world...our little brown boy....our Sweet William who was ornery and crazy and funny and lovable and silly and just downright cute! Oh dear God sometimes I think I will go mad with longing to have one of his "boy-hugs" again...William, I miss you so much...your crazy faces and your radiant white smile and the silly dances and jokes and pranks oh.....how can I bear it...no more music coming out of your room...your drums and bass guitar are still and silent.....
It's not right...I need to do your laundry and cook your meals and take care of you if you get sick...and just be your mum.....like I've always done....that is what I am supposed to do....so what do I do now? Charlotte is married....and I still try to take care of her.....but she is kind of gone too...but you are really truly gone and that is what is making me die on the inside and breaking my heart a little more every day...Maybe I loved you too much? Is there such a thing?

Forever loving and missing

you sweet William,

Mums

~ xoxo to you in heaven ~

Missing My Only Beloved Son

2010-11-28T23:51:00.000-08:00

My heart is broken ... I cannot sleep tonight.

Memories of the past fill my mind, the

happy days when our son was still alive

and with us...Holidays, when we were

all together and chain of our family love

was not broken. My heart cries in silence

while I try to smile for my

beloved husband and daughter.

I miss my son with all my heart and soul.

Nothing can ever heal the hurt ...it is

a scorching, hot pain that will never

leave me.

I will love you always,

my sweet William.

Every moment with you were with

us is saved in our hearts, every single

memory is a priceless treasure.

I love you always, with all my

heart. I will never have peace again

until we are all come together

again in heaven with our

Heavenly Father...all of our family

together once more...

only this time it will be forever.

Happy Birthday To YOU in Heaven, Sweet William!

2010-09-28T00:09:00.000-07:00

I love you Sweet William....I just love you so much and miss you more than words can say ~ Today is your birthday and you would have been 24 years old today....I wonder how tall you would have been by now? Would your looks have changed very much? I can only imagine that you would have only gotten more handsome as each day passed.

We are going through some really hard times right now and for them to be happening on your birthday is just awful...but we are all trying to remember the good times, the fun times...the crazy times...the happy times and there were more of those than anything else...beautiful golden memories that can keep us in these times of trouble and during your birthdays and holidays and on the awful anniversary of the day you went missing and all those days of searching that followed and then the shock and numbness and pain of what happened after that...But Today....TODAY is your birthday...and we celebrate the life you lived to the fullest...your extreme vibrant life and how you made each moment count~ We love you tons and bunches to eternity and back again and then some more! I love you with all of my heart and soul...and miss you more than I can say...Charlotte and your Dad and all the rest of the family and your friends miss you too, lil brown boy...it's Just YOUR Day and we will celebrate with a release of 24 balloons filled with messages of love and memories of you...because it is YOUR BIRTHDAY and we LOVE and MISS YOU so very much our dear Sweet William~ Happy Birthday to you in Heaven my Son...it must be better than any birthday you ever had here on earth...of that I'm sure.

Loving you forever missing....you until we can meet again!

Pepe, Mums, Charlotte and Josh

Your Life-Song Sings To Me

2010-09-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

Your Life-Song Sings To Me!

I dreamed a dream last night...

I saw a place that looked like it could be heaven, Will, but you could not see me. Heaven did not seem like what I expected...You know...clouds in the sky, angels with harps. It was a city though...A beautiful city. Of course there were golden streets. There were mansions. There were beautiful flowers and trees. Everywhere the eyes could see, there was more beauty than

I had ever imagined possible.

That was when I saw you William...You were sitting at the feet of Jesus. He held out his hands to you...that was when I noticed in the palms of his hands there were horrible nail scars...Oh they looked brutal and ragged. But he showed you the scars, And this is what he said to you, "William, my son, I received these scars willingly for you...Because my love for you knows no bounds. I knew that with the scars on my body and the blood that I shed, I would be able to purchase your salvation...These scars allow you to be here in heaven with me forever...But now I have a job for you to do. I want you to join our heavenly orchestra. I want you to make music like you only dreamed of being able to play down when you lived on earth."

He then led you to the center of heaven where there was a magnificent huge courtyard that was right before the throne of the Almighty God. It was there I saw musical instruments of every imaginable kind and some I have never seen before...There were already many people playing...He showed you to your very own special spot that he had been saving just for you.

He placed you there and then he laid his nail-scarred hands on your head and blessed you to play in heaven's orchestra..."Play my son," he said, "Play with all of your heart and soul...Play like you have never even dreamed of playing before. Your music will be to worship the Almighty God, The Prince of Peace, The Everlasting Father...

Because when you play with all of your heart for me in Heaven...I will also be sending comfort to your loved ones that were left behind who miss you so very much...Your Life-Song will sing to them in the darkest times of their sadness. It will bring them hope of that beautiful tomorrow when you will all be with me here in Paradise...all together once again!"

With these words from the Prince of Peace, my dream was coming to an end as William joined in with the heavenly orchestra and began to play the most beautiful heavenly music I have ever heard...

I just wish I could hear it every day...But now I can think about this beautiful dream and know that William is playing up there in Heaven with all of his heart and soul before the King of Kings...and that The Prince of Peace is using that music to bring comfort to we who are left behind...William's Life-Song sings to me...to us...until we meet again in Heaven.

WE LOVE YOU FOREVER LIL BROWN BOY!

Your Life-Song Sings To Me!

Not Just September...Wake Me Up When December Ends

2010-09-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

The words of this song...

"Wake Me Up When September Ends"

For me should read...

"Wake Me Up When December Ends"...

If I could just go to sleep today and wake up

in January or perhaps not wake up at all...

Just fly away to heaven...my whole family...

Just all of us fly away to heaven right now...

Life would be so much easier...

I miss my son so very much...

I miss his laughter and his

Beautiful, radiant smile...

I miss the perfect circle of our

Family...always together...

Hearts full of love...

I miss you Sweet William

My heart is broken...

Life can never, ever be the same again.

My desire is for all of us to

Be all together in Heaven...

Soon...

Whispers From The Water

2010-07-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

My son, my son, my only beloved son...I sat outside in the darkness...listening to the sounds of the night...hearing water running in the backyard of our neighbor's fountain...seeing the stars glittering in the blackness of the night sky where no moon was visible...as considered apt for performing Shradh to honor the death of parents and relatives in the traditional Hindu religion...the death of my son....my only beloved son. No, I am not Hindu, nor was I performing Shradh...I was just outside alone in the night thinking, meditating, praying and remembering the other dark nights...the ones we spent searching for you, my son.
Yesterday, I finished reading the book "A River Runs Through It And Other Stories" by Norman Maclean. Some things reminded me of you, William, but mostly it was the river...the water...picturing in my mind the ebb and flow of the light on the water such as it was the day I went up to Devil's Falls, and it made me think of the words by Norman Maclean as he stated, "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."
I am not just haunted by the waters and the words that belong to them...but by what lay under the waters for four days waiting to be found, to be rescued...those waters certainly have words that belong only to them, though as your mum...I have a desperate need to know what your last words were as you struggled to get free...they are mine, they do not belong to the river....and they will haunt me forever.
For now...just know that I love you forever and miss you desperately, William, my only beloved son.
I love you with all of my mother's heart and soul...I wish you were still with us...I'd gladly give my life, my all to have you alive...but I wasn't given the choice...so for the rest of my life....I will listen closely for the Whispers From The Water...that someday they will become clear to me.

My William at 16 Years Old

Falling To Pieces

2010-07-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

I'm so desperately bummed and feeling like I'm literally falling apart even more, lately...no one reads this journal, so it doesn't matter if I speak without holding anything back.

I wish I could talk to you in person, my son, you were always so positive and helping others get up out of the rut. I'm stuck in that rut...very deeply in that rut and can't seem to get out...don't feel like I have the strength to try.

Just have to tell you how much I love you and miss you my only beloved son...not many around me understand, and I've been staying home from the mother's meetings, because between the pain it takes to go out and the emotional pain, I just don't want to bring anyone else down...so it seems better for me to stay home as usual.

It's like everything I've ever known and held on to is falling apart....literally falling to pieces to match the shattered pieces of my heart.

I love you forever and ever...you and Charlotte and your Dad...you are my life.

You Would Have Wanted To Be There

2010-06-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

My Dearest Son,
Dad and Charlotte went camping with Josh and some others for the weekend. Yesterday they went white-water rafting...I know you would have loved to go...
I would have loved to go, even if only to take pictures of Dad and Char's first adventure into white-water rafting...but I wasn't asked to go...I know it's probably because of my physical condition, but it would have been nice to be asked anyway...it hurts. I'm alone too much. I'm not whining, just being honest and stating the facts as they are, because I've vowed to always tell the truth...even if it hurts.
I love you for always, I'll remember your beautiful, radiant smile and happy, joyful, crazy disposition...You will always be: Forever in my heart....Mums

Memorial Day: May 31, 2010

2010-05-31T21:30:00.000-07:00

This day is May 31, Memorial Day 2010. It is a holiday set aside to honor and remember all of the soldiers from the beginning of the start for the War of Independence from England in the 1700's to our present day soldiers.

Our family stands behind every soldier and keeps them in our prayers daily. We appreciate so very much their service to our country...many who gave years of their lives and many who gave their all...their very lives to protect and keep America free.

Our hearts our with all of our soldiers and their families. May God bless and keep you every day of your lives and keep you all safe.

Our son, William Vincent Alexander Reynolds, who always dreamed of becoming a soldier of the United States of America from the time he was a tiny little boy...so for us, it is Memorial Day every day for our family, since he took his test to join the Army Rangers just days before the tragic accident which took his life when he had just turned 19 years old...he would have made one heck of a soldier...of this we, his family are sure and confident. If only he'd had the chance. We look at the walls of his room covered in posters of all the divisions of the military special forces units...and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt...our son would have been a soldier to be proud of...he was already training himself physically to be ready for basic training. We remember how hard he worked out and how healthy he was. We love you William...You are forever in our hearts and minds...and we miss you more than we can even say.

God bless our troops, and this country the Great Country, the United States of America.

The Aura Of Life

2010-05-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

We found something today...it seems to be so fitting, we could not let it pass us by...It says in words, just how we feel without you by our sides. Mums...I feel this especially true when it comes to our chilren, because afterall, one never expects their child to pass on before one does as a parent. XOXO To You In Heaven Sweet William ~ Mums ~
"People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive. It is as though they were traveling abroad."
By: Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust, 7/10/1871 - 12/18/1922, was a French novelist, critic and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time; earlier translated as Remembrance of Things Past). It was published in seven parts between 1913 and 1927.

Families Together

2010-05-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Dearest William,

Your Dad and Charlotte and I were able to spend the afternoon and evening with your Uncle Les, Aunt Sherry, Stacie, your best bud and Cousin Clayton and his new wife Sarah...only you were missing...after all...you were always the life of the party, playing jokes and your laughter and that radiant smile.

I just want you to know that you were missed, my lil brown boy...

Our very own Sweet William who could also be so mischievous while you were growing up...I just wanted to say that though I was so happy to be spending time with them...I was still missing you in my mum's heart.

All our love to you forever...You are forever in our hearts!

XOXO to you in Heaven, Our WillMan

Love Pepe (aka Dad), Mum & Charlotte

Missing My Lil Brown Boy On Mother's Day

2010-05-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

I went up to your place, my son, and looked all about at folks leaving flowers and balloons, paying tribute to their mothers...but I was paying tribute to the tender loving, yet totally extreme memories of my only beloved son.

Missing you is the hardest thing I've ever lived through in my life...Holding the heart and hand of a little baby....and letting go of the hand of a handsome young man in the prime of his life. My heart will never heal from the pain of losing you, my son...I will always remember how much joy and happiness you brought to our family, what a pleasure your presence brought to our home...what a wonderful brother, best friend, and protector of your sister that you were...she told us that she didn't just lose her brother, but she lost her best friend.

We spent the time together today....just Charlotte, your dad and I the three of us together...and how much we missed your happy, radiant smile...it's just not the same with you gone and never will be again.

Charlotte misses you so much too...she doesn't have another brother or sister to turn to...you were always there for her.

I love you Sweet William, with all the love a Mother's Heart can hold...Forever and ever to eternity and back again.

xoxo to you in heaven, my only beloved son.

Forever 19

Forever Young,

Forever In Our Hearts

Forever Will

Big-Headed People

2010-05-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

Up again...late at night...with only my memories for company.
Sweet memories of my babies...their first smiles, first teeth, first step, first word...all those first things, locked carefully away in my mother's heart.
I'm missing you so much our Lil Brown Boy...found a lot of your pictures and cards and schoolwork while your dad and I are going through the mountain of bins of paperwork to sort/file/shred...but we had to stop when we came upon those treasured memories.
I am so thankful that I was chosen to be your mother...and that God chose you to be my son. I've so many precious, tender, loving memories as well as many wild and crazy ones about you too, Sweet William.

I'm missing you, my only son...missing you terribly....so I drew a picture on the bathroom hall of one of your pictures of those 'big-headed' people with the wildest hair...they were all just a big head, with wild hair, circles for eyes and big grins and a ton of long uneven legs...it made my heart smile through the tears. I don't care if it is in the front bathroom that guests would use....it makes me smile every time I see it.
I love you forever and with all of my heart, to eternity and back again and then some more.
Can't wait until we are all re-united again as a perfect, happy family...Forever loving you, my son...
Mums xoxo to you up in Heaven my Will-Man

My Goofy, Funny, Loveable Son

2010-04-20T02:52:00.000-07:00

My Goofy, Funny, Loveable Son

William Vincent Alexander Reynolds

Our Will-Man

You held the world in your hands...

You knew you could...

So maybe I, too, can.

You seized the day,

No holds barred...

You made your way.

You never looked back

You forged ahead...

Determined to win,

The losses you shed.

Knowing loss would hold you down

You let it go...

New courage you found.

You lived your life

You lived it well...

You made us proud

Your story we tell.

We live each day

Your laughter in mind,

We seek to live

and learn and find

The joy you found

In each new day...

We love you Will

Forever and always.

You are forever young...

Forever in our hearts...

~ Forever Will ~

XOXO to you in Heaven

My Sweet William

You will always be my

Little Boy Blue...Yet at the same time

My Lil Brown Boy!

I just wish with all of my heart

that I could hug you again...

Someday soon ~ I know I will

I felt and saw it in my dream

on Sunday 4/18/2010.

Waiting For That Day...

2010-03-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

The last post took every bit of strength out of me as I had to face the reality of our loss...I've taken weeks just to recover enough from that post to try my hand at another....

Right now all I can say is I miss you with all of my mother's heart, my only beloved son, William Vincent Alexander Reynolds...our little brown boy...our WillMan. You were always the very best son anyone could ask for and all you have made so proud of you in everything you did.

We just love and miss you so much that it's hard to just face living without your radiant smile....yet I know we must go on, until we can all meet together in heaven someday....that day cannot come soon enough for me.

We love you to eternity and back again and then some more...

Forever in our hearts....Forever Loved....Forever Young....Forever Will

xoxo to heaven from Pepe, Mums and Char

MY HEART IS BREAKING

2010-02-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

How could this be all that was

left of the car you were driving...

Dear God my heart hurts so badly

tonight...the memory and pain

of it all is just crushing the

very life breath out of me tonight.

I feel that I just cannot bear it.

I miss you so much...the pain

inside of me is unbearable...

It is smothering me....

I still cannot believe that horrible

accident really happened...

I cannot believe you are really

truly gone from us...my heart

won't believe it...it still seems

you are just away on a

road trip on your street bike...

back patio and there is your

bike and I weep and the

pain inside of me is unbearable...

We were such a close knit family...

like Charlotte told me the other

day...we had the perfect family

and then the accident had to

happen and ruined it all...

What are we going to do

without you Will??? Without

your radiant smile and your

crazy dances and your jokes

and just your being YOU???

Oh my dear God....

I can't do this...it is too hard...

the dreams...no they are

nightmares...are too real...

then I wake up and you are

not here in your bed...but

your bed is empty...your

room is still and silent...the

drums and bass guitar...the

keyboard lay still and untouched

just like you left them...oh the

silence hurts....sometimes I just

go and lay on your bed and

cry...I look at your instruments

and the silence is crushing...

My mother's heart is breaking

inside of me...I love you my

lil brown boy...I love you so

very much and I miss you with

my whole soul...I will never

ever be the same again...part

of me died with you...oh my

baby boy....what I wouldn't

give to have you back again

alive and whole and safe

and sound....why????

But I cannot question the

Almighty can I....my heart is

just hurting...I want to hold

my lil brown boy in my arms

again and get another

one of your "boy-hugs" again...

you were so big and strong....

dear God how I miss

you my sweet William....

Forever loving you,

Mumsy

xoxo to heaven

Four Long Years

2010-01-29T01:09:00.000-08:00

Life goes on day by day and if you didn't

know what happened to Will...

you would not know that he

is no longer on this earth anymore.

HOW CAN LIFE GO ON

WITHOUT OUR WILLIAM???

People know that all caps in a message

connotates screaming...and if it means I

miss my only beloved son then yes....

I am screaming on the inside while

trying to hold together and present

a calm front on the outside.

It is surreal to even imagine that it

has been four awful, long years since

we saw the radiant smile you

wore so well on your handsome face.

It seems as if it can't be true

that it's been four years of silence

without the echoes of your laughter and

the sound of your music filling our home.

It's been far too long Sweet William...

& your mum, dad & sister want you back.

If I could even have just one day to

spend with you it would be a

dream come true!

Oh, how much I love and miss

my sweet little brown boy!

If our love could have kept you alive...

You would be alive still!

XOXOXOXO

to heaven!

We love you with all of our

hearts and souls and strength!

You will always be...

Forever Young...

Forever 19...

Forever in our Hearts...

Forever WILL!

Missing and Loving YOU!

Pepe, Mums, and Char your sissy

We Are All Missing You, Will...

My Heart is Hurting

2010-01-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

My heart is hurting too bad to write too much today, why?
Today someone asked me if you were drunk when your car crashed...I was speechless and just looked at them completely amazed and utterly shocked that someone would ask such a thing....I could not believe it.

"No!" I said. I then proceeded to explain how the CHP told us you had fallen asleep at the wheel and drifted off the road missing the guard rail by a hair - to slam into an oak tree and then roll downward into the bottom of the ravine where your car then plunged into the river, submerging both you and the car under eight feet of water making it impossible to spot from the aerial searches by helicopter and visual searches by rescue works and everyone who helped us look for you, as the search stretched over four long, awful days.

Dear God...If anyone ever reads this, please remember to be kind and respectful if you ask anyone about their loved one that has passed from this life.
It's easy to be blunt but it makes a broken heart crush a little more takingit even longer to mend.
Please remember that a little bit of kindness goes a long way. Try to be kinder than you need to be to those you meet each day, because you never know what the other person is going through in their life at that moment of time.
Forever Loving my Will,
Susan Reynolds
xoxo to heaven Sweet William

2009-12-29T15:32:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Miracle

on Almond Avenue for 2009

I asked God for a

miracle at our house

for Christmas this year.

It has been four long years

since William was taken

from us...We have not

been able to celebrate

the season at all because

it has been too painful

and filled with tears.

But I knew how much

Will and Charlotte

loved Christmas with all

the prepartions, decorating,

special holiday baking

(I think that was

Will's favorite part)

Remembering the year

we made

pajama pants

for everyone

with flannel prints

according

to their personalities...

we have had so much fun

throughout the years.

There have been so many

beautiful memories to

cherish forever.

I know you would

want us to learn to make

new memories,
Sweet William
I know that

you would not want

us to be silently
weeping all alone.

So I prayed that God
would help us bring
Christmas back

to our little home.

He did help me...

We made it...

Even though I was too sick

to even get out of bed

on Christmas Morning...

It was all there for

Dad, For Charlotte and Josh.

Dad had taken us up

towards Tahoe

and we all picked

out a tree...our first

one since your accident.

It was hard to even
look at the tree
the first few days.

Dad and Charlotte
decorated it
I helped some too.

Dad turned on the lights

and it was so beautiful.

I placed your special

ornament right in front

towards the top and

Dad put your santa hat

from this picture on the

top of the tree instead

the angel or a star.

There were presents

to be opened once more

on Christmas morning

and funky stockings

stuffed to the brim...

Christmas came to

Almond Avenue

this year...

But missing our

Sweet William...

our little brown boy

made Christmas seem

so very far away.

I didn't get to see

the family open their gifts,

I was too sick in bed

by then...but

Christmas did come

to Almond Avenue this year

Ask God to help us

get up again in 2010

and not just survive,

but thrive...

just as you would

do if you were here

with us - always

living life to the fullest!

Anything to be Extreme!

We love and miss you

so very much...

Sweet William

You are:

Forever 19

Forever Young

Forever with Jesus

AND

Forever

In Our Hearts

XOXO to Heaven

2009-12-11T01:10:00.000-08:00

Dearest William,

You are forever on my mind and always in my heart. You left a gaping wound in our very souls when you left us way too soon, and the pain never gets any easier to bear.

Anthony and Michael went up to visit your place at Mount Vernon...Michael left a Best Friends Bracelet Tag on one of the stands we have up there with your pictures on them...they both wrote in your book too and it just made me weep....to know how much your cousins and friends miss you too...you are so loved!

We love you with all of our hearts and souls, Sweet William, and wish that God hadn't called you home when you were so young...especially in such an awful way.

Our hearts are yours forever....

Forever Young

Forever With Jesus

Forever Will,

Loving you....Dad, Mum, and Charlotte
xoxoxoxo to you in Heaven, Sweet William

2009-12-02T03:27:00.000-08:00

4 years ago today...we cannot believe it has been

so very long and yet it seems like yesterday...

The agony of the day you went missing...

The heart-wrenching days of searching...

The awful memory of how you were found...

But now instead we try to fill our minds with...

The memories of your beautiful, radiant smile

It lingers long after the sun sets each day

The memory of your laughter

will forever echo in our hearts...

Our hearts that were broken the

day you were taken from us.

We will never ever forget you

Sweet William...

If our love could have kept you alive...

You'd be alive still!

Mere words cannot even begin to convey

what is in our hearts...

We love you Forever...

You are

Forever 19

Forever Young

Forever in our hearts

Forever Will

Missing you and loving you

our lil brown boy...

Pepe n Mums n Char

Our Hearts Are Broken...

2009-12-02T03:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.simplydivinephotography.com/-/simplydivinephotography/gallery.asp?cat=48697&pID=2&row=15&photoID=3510219&searchTerm=

2009-10-11T02:35:00.000-07:00

Your 23rd birthday came and went....

And yet it does it seem that it could

have really happened again without you being here

to share it with us.

We miss you so much Will...

Our lil brown boy.

I can't say enough how very much we miss you...

Mere words just are not enough.

I wonder where are your cousins and friends are...

What they are doing with their lives?

I only know how much I miss my

Only Beloved Son...

Until We Meet Again

Hugs Forever,

Mums

I love you so much Sweet William

Happy Birthday To You In Heaven William!

2009-10-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

I dreamed a dream last night...
I saw a place that looked like it could be heaven, Will, but you could not see me. Heaven did not seem like what I expected...You know...clouds in the sky, angels with harps. It was a city though...A beautiful city. Of course there were golden streets. There were mansions. There were beautiful flowers and trees. Everywhere the eyes could see, there was more beauty than I had ever imagined possible. That was when I saw you William...You were sitting at the feet of Jesus. He held out his hands to you...that was when I noticed in the palms of his hands there were horrible nail scars...Oh they looked brutal and ragged. But he showed you the scars, And this is what he said to you, "William, my son, I received these scars willingly for you...Because my love for you knows no bounds. I knew that with the scars on my body and the blood that I shed, I would be able to purchase your salvation...These scars allow you to be here in heaven with me forever...But now I have a job for you to do. I want you to join our heavenly orchestra. I want you to make music like you only dreamed of being able to play down when you lived on earth." He then led you to the center of heaven where there was a magnificent huge courtyard that was right before the throne of the Almighty God. It was there I saw musical instruments of every imaginable kind and some I have never seen before...There were already many people playing...He showed you to your very own special spot that he had been saving just for you. He placed you there and then he laid his nail-scarred hands on your head and blessed you to play in heaven's orchestra..."Play my son," he said, "Play with all of your heart and soul...Play like you had never even dreamed of playing before. Your music will be to worship the Almighty God, The Prince of Peace, The Everlasting Father...When you play with all of your heart...I will also be sending comfort to your loved ones that were left behind who miss you so very much...Your Life-Song will sing to them in the darkest times of their sadness. It will bring them hope of that beautiful tomorrow when you will all be with me here in Paradise...all together once again!" With these words from the Prince of Peace, my dream was coming to an end as William joined in with the heavenly orchestra and began to play the most beautiful heavenly music I have ever heard...I just wish I could hear it every day...But now I can think about this beautiful dream and know that William is playing up there in Heaven with all of his heart and soul before the King of Kings...and that The Prince of Peace is using that music to bring comfort to we who are left behind...
WE LOVE YOU FOREVER LIL BROWN BOY!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WILLIAM IN HEAVEN

2009-09-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

Oh Will

Just Sunday it was your Dad's birthday...

Birthday's used to be such fun times

and now...

they are just quiet

We miss you so much every day

But we feel it even more

on birthdays and holidays

Your birthday is coming up...

Too soon...

To remind us that you are gone

from us here on earth.

We just have the echos of your laughter,

the ghost of your smiles,

the mirages of your crazy dances

and goofy faces like the photo

of you and Clayton playing

air guitar in front of everyone

on the San Diego bay...

You were always the life of every party

Maybe that is why the

birthdays are so quiet now.

I wonder what birthdays

in Heaven

are like?

We love you and miss you so much~

If our love could have kept you alive...

You'd be alive still

xoxoxoxo

Pepe, Mums, and Charlotte

2009-08-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Our William

This family photo was taken

in August 2004
I can't believe it has been five years

since I took these pictures

We had to get a photo in for

the church directory by that night

I had just come home from work...

All I had was a roll of Black & white film

I didn't have digital yet

We shot the whole roll of 36 exposures

with a remote

I was behind you...so I couldn't see

what everyone else looked like

Everyone else was fine in 34 photos...

But you were making crazy faces

and acting goofy in all but 2 of them!

We found out when we took them

to a one-hour developing lab...

34 crazy faces from you, Will

and two okay to pick from for

the directory...

But that is the way you always were

Fun, crazy, goofy, laughing

Always out for a good time

and anything EXTREME...

We love and miss you so much

Sweet William

Your Dad's birthday is coming

up in a few days...

Then in September is your birthday

and the start of all the holidays

and the horrible anniversary

of the day you were taken

from us...

We will miss you dreadfully

until we get to Heaven

We love you with all of our

hearts and souls

We think of you always

and you are

Forever In Our Hearts

Your Life-Song Sings To Us

Hugs and Kisses

Pepe, Mum & Charlotte

xoxo

2009-08-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a brand new photo to post of you that I had never seen before...

Oh how I wish I had taken so many more...had even one video of you talking

and laughing and smiling and just acting crazy like you always did.

Wishing does not make it happen though.

I am just thankful to have the photos that I did take.

I love you so much my Sweet William...

More than I can ever write with words or speak out loud.

I would bring you back in a heartbeat if it was possible...

But I don't think broken hearts beat hard or strong

enough to make wishes like that come true.

I only daydream about the memories stored up

inside of me...all the baby days,

you learning to walk and talk...

and then just suddenly it seemed you were taller than

me AND your dad...

We love you and miss your radiant smile and big hugs...

your shouts of laughter and goofy faces...

Waiting...and waiting to see you again...

Hopefully,

Someday Soon

All of our love to our

Lil Brown Boy

Forever Young

Forever 19

Forever Will

xoxoxoxo

Pepe, Mum & Charlotte

2009-07-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Not A second, a minute, an hour,

a day, a week, a month,

a year does not go by without memories of you

held close to my heart Sweet William....

I just love and miss you so much...

Things can never be normal again,

no matter what happens....

I love you from the very depths of my mother's heart...

all the way to eternity and back again.

If our love could have kept you alive - You'd be alive still.

All our family, your dad and Charlotte and I

miss you so much!

We had such a perfect little family

and always had so much fun together...

We miss you, Will...

Forever loving you my lil brown boy

Mums

xoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

2009-06-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

My Dearest Only Beloved Son

My Little Brown Boy

I printed out this photo today to

give to Grandma Reynolds.

She has not been feeling good

and just came home from the hospital.

She loves you and misses

you so much...and I thought this would

cheer her up a little.

We ALL miss you so much, Sweet William!

I remember Uncle Fred giving you

that name "Sweet William"

when you were first born.

I still have the Sweet William flowers

that I planted in the painted green

steel washbin that we planted

when you were about 10 years old and

we lived on Mariposa...

Oh for the days of yesteryear gone by...

If only I could have my Sweet William

back again...my joy would be full.

Keep heaven's angels dancing baby,

Dance Long and Dance Hard...

I love you with all my heart forever and ever...

to eternity and back again

and then some more.

You are Forever In My Heart!

Love, Mums

xoxo

2009-06-23T00:43:00.000-07:00

William Vincent Alexander Reynolds
9/28/86 ~ 12/2/05
Our “Will”
Forever With Jesus
Forever Cherished
Forever Loved
Forever Extreme
Forever Happy
Forever Smiling
Forever Adored
Forever Remembered
Forever 19
Forever Young
Forever in our Hearts
Forever Will
If our love could have kept you alive…
You’d be alive still…We miss you so much!
XOXOXO
Our lil brown boy…
We love you
with all of our hearts and souls
Pepe n Mums n Charlotte

Maybe William Would Say This To Us?

2009-05-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

I wish there were such things as real messages from heaven...
I'd love to hear what William would have to tell us.
Maybe he would be saying something like the note above?
I think he would have a whole lot more to say though...
But it is our only comfort...knowing that Will is waiting there for us in heaven.
Yes, like it says above, it was hard at the beginning...
So shocking and unbelievable.
Yet I think that it has gotten harder with every day that goes by.
Why?
Because every day that goes by is another day missing William...
Missing his radiant smile
His "boy-hugs"
His laughter
His crazy faces
His hilarious dances (like the one on top of his camaro on the side of the freeway)
His zest for life
His love of anything extreme and challenging
Oh...I could go on and on
But it is the missing him that hurts so bad...
Knowing that we will never see him down here on earth again...
Having to wait until we get to heaven
That is the hardest part...
of
Missing Will
I love you lil brown boy!
You will always be my Sweet William
xoxo
mums

2009-04-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

I love you lil brown boy

You will always be my Sweet William

I miss you dreadfully

Not a moment goes by that you are not on my mind

I cannot wait to get to heaven to see you again

Your laughter echoes in my heart

Your smile makes my broken heart try to smile for you

You are everything I ever wanted in a son

You are my pride and joy

Heaven can't come soon enough

Until then...

Forever loving and missing my WillMan

xoxo

Mums

2008-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

My Sweet William...mum tried to sleep all night long, but it was no use...all I could think of was today...and the four days that followed today three years ago. I cannot believe that it has been that long since that awful day...but I can remember the crushing agony of searching and waiting only to find the tragic accident and our only beloved son gone from us forever in a moment of time one cold, stormy December morning on your way to work...It is all still such a nightmare and so fresh in my mind...the pain...the deep profound heart hurt that will never go away...the senselessness of it all...the wondering why...the missing you more every day and the pain that seems more than our family can bear...Sure all of us, Dad, Charlotte and I try to put on a smile for you and try to make everything seem "normal"...but there is no such thing as normal anymore...and there won't be anymore. We still try though as hard as it is...but sometimes it is just too much to bear.Yes, We know you are in a much better place and that you would not want to come back to this messed up world even if you could, but that does not take away the hurt and pain and grief of losing you...especially in the horrible way that it happened. Only God knows why he took you that way...why he made us search for you for four days before you were found under the icy waters....oh, my William....my sweet lil brown boy...couldn't we have just had just a little more time with you? Just one more day? Just one more hug and kiss to tell you how much we loved you and how proud we were of you? Oh, I know we hugged and kissed you goodbye all the time and we always told you we loved you even on every phone call...but if we had just known it would be the last time...we would have never let you go I think...I would have held on so tight...Maybe that's why God does not let some of us know when the last time will be....others get the chance to say goodbye for the last time...I wonder why we didn't get to do that with you? It is just another thing that breaks my mother's heart...Has it really been three long years since you left us to be a family of three? Has it really been three long years since we last heard your laughter? Has it really been three long years since we saw your beautiful, radiant smile? Has it really been three long years since we last were able to give you a hug and tell you we loved you? Has it really been three long years since we last saw you give one of your crazy dances and made one of your crazy faces? Where has the time gone and yet it seems like an eternity...and everyday my heart breaks a little more.I miss you so much my William...More than I can say with just words...the deep heart-wrenching pain goes beyond what I can write down...it is something that is just lived day in and day out...that we try to bear knowing that someday...someday we can see you again...That is all that sustains us when the hurt is overwhelming. Dad misses his best buddie in the world...Charlotte misses you not just as a brother she says but as her best friend...you left such a gaping hole in all of our lives and we will miss you until we are reunited with you again in heaven...We love you with all of our hearts and souls...You have always been such a vital part of our family and you always will be...We miss you so much and wish we were all there with you already...Forever loving you...Mum and Dad xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

I Love You William

2008-11-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I got to tell you "I love you, William"...so long since I was able to give you a kiss and tell you how proud of you Dad and I were....It's been so long since you gave me one of your great big "boy-hugs".....I miss you so much my lil brown boy....so much more than mere words can even begin to say....and I wonder why it had to be this way?
Another holiday season is coming and that means another anniversary of the day you went missing and the four awful days we spent searching for you....and then that terrible, terrible moment of truth when they pulled the car up and found out that it was your car and you were still in it...I cannot bear it my son, my son....my beautiful, only beloved son.... I love you with all of my mother's heart and soul....Life has never been the same since that fateful moment....
We cannot wait until we get to heaven and can be with you again and see your radiant smile and be with you and our Savior forever and ever....never to be parted again...
But until then....I have only the memories of your smile the echos of your laughter....and all of the happiness that you brought to our lives....Charlotte and your Dad and I miss you and love you with all of our hearts and souls Sweet William and we will never ever forget you...You are the light of our lives and will be forever! It just hurts so bad to have you gone from us....
If there is Christmas in heaven.....Have a Happy Christmas...my sweet lil brown boy....Mummy loves you to eternity and back again and then some more~ xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Missing My Son

2008-09-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

My Only Beloved Son: William Vincent Alexander Reynolds

09/28/86 - 12/02/05

Yesterday was your birthday, Will ~

You could not be with us...

We missed you so much...

I don't understand why it has to be this way.

It is so sad and the house is quiet and

lonely without you and your sister

since she was married...

I love you so much, my son...so much more than mere words can ever say or write... My heart just hurts inside, never healing, never having time to recover from the awful tragedy of that fatal accident...

Just know, Will... I love you with all my heart...I miss you more than the world...I can't wait to get to heaven someday and see you again....

Until then...

I love you to eternity and back again...

Forever,

Mums