"I REMEMBER..."

I remember the day as if it was yesterday. December 9, 2000 is, and will forever be, engraved in my head as the worst day of my life. My dad was on a business trip, he used to travel quite frequently, so it was just my mom, my two brothers, my sister, and me at home. My older brother, Eric, aged 19, had come home from hanging out with his friends and tucked me in to bed, as he did every night. He did the same to my older brother, Matt (age 7), and my older sister, Meghan (age 5), said goodnight to my mom, and went to sleep in his bedroom in the basement. Little did I know, this would be the last time I would ever see Eric. In the middle of the night, around 3 A.M., my mom was awoken by a police officer at our front door. He regretfully informed her that my older brother had just passed away in a car accident. My mom instantly thought that was impossible, as she had just told him goodnight a short couple of hours prior. She went down to the basement, and sure enough, the back door was unlocked. My mom was then horrifically faced with the task of informing my dad of the heartbreaking, earth-shattering, agonizing, traumatic news. You see, Eric was my half-brother. Meaning that my mom was his step-mother. Though my mom loved Eric as if he was her own, she very well knew that Eric and my dad had a bond that was only truly experienced between father and son. I was 3 when Eric's accident happened. One can collect that I was not overwhelmingly comprehensive of the entire scenario. However, you would be surprised by how much a 3 year old can recollect. I remember my dad being home when I woke up, which was joyful because we weren't expecting him for another couple days. I remember wondering where Eric was. I remember the pain and hurt in my parents' voices as they told us that Eric was in heaven, and we would see him again someday, but it wouldn't be very soon. I remember the memorial service, with everyone distraught and speechless at the passing of such a generous and kind young man, whose life was cut short due to a series of unfortunate events. I remember all of these feelings on the 9th of December each year, and I remember that Eric would want us to rejoice in his life, and all of the love that he radiated to those around him.

RIP Eric Hamilton Mills
October 13, 1981 - December 9, 2000