Matthew's 10th Birthday today..........
First thing this morning, instead of her usual coming to wake us up, I found Megan in the living room kneeling on the floor facing our large front window with her head propped on her criss-crossed arms on a side stool. I asked her what she was doing, and she told me that she was saying her prayers thanking God for Matthew and his birthday..........
(and my tears started flowing...so much for trying to be tear-free today!)
Today, we plan to remember our Matthew with his favorite foods, favorite music, favorite games, and favorite memories. Megan and I will bake a birthday cake (with a touch of Andes mint and lots of sprinkles :-)), and we will light 10 candles in memory of him. Thank you to all for your phone calls, emails, text messages, voicemails, thoughtful gifts, etc.....just remembering him. It's deep in every mom's heart that the sweet memories of her child are kept alive and are not forgotten. So it means so much that you took the time to remember someone so special to us on his birthday. Thank you.
Last Friday after school, a large beautiful butterfly mosaic, commissioned by a special artist, was dedicated at a reception and hung at Santa Rita School in memory of Matthew. It was gifted by some very generous friends and the Santa Rita PTA. Beside it will be a plaque of the butterfly poem that was read at his celebration service. Although that plaque was not expected for several more weeks, we received a surprise today, special-delivered by Mrs. Mitchell. It was boxed with the big bold printed word 'MATTHEWS' on the upper left corner, and M's all over the box. Well it was from Matthews International Corporation, and the M's everywhere, reminds me of my M&M (Matthew and Megan), and inside, was his beautiful copper-bronzed plaque. I think that was Matthew's gift to us for his birthday. (Because there are only so many 'coincidences' that can happen in our life..........!) Thank you to all that attended the dedication, and special thanks to Matthew's school buddies who helped release the 10 monarch butterflies, for his 10th birthday. We can't begin to express what this means to us having Matthew's memory remembered and permanently decorating the school he loved.
Inscribed on the plaque..........
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A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam,
And for a brief moment
Its glory and beauty belong to our world.
But then it flies again.
And though we wish it could have stayed...
We feel so blessed to have seen it.
In memory of
MATTHEW YI-WEI TSERN
November 19, 1998 - July 26, 2007
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I will forever vividly remember the day baby Matthew entered this world and made all the difference in our life...
Enjoy and be thankful for every precious day with your children.
God bless,
Gigi, Ely, and Megan
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