Dear Reed:
It just occurred to me that you would be 17 years old this year, and today is the 17day countdown to the final big day of your run. Isn’t it funny how God works on his timing of ideas? You gave us a lifetime of memories, and we have chosen several small memories to remember each year at the run.
Our whole focus has been to remember you and what a shining light you were in this world. As time has gone on, our hearts don’t hurt as bad, but that doesn’t mean we miss you less. I think the reason why is that with each passing day our heart focus for Reed’s Run has been more and more about the God you loved. And as much as we love you, we realize that this is small beans in comparison to how much God LOVED you and all of us. That LOVE has helped our hearts to begin to heal.
I think we’ve been asked about a hundred times, why this is the last Reed’s Run. The reasons are twofold, but we wanted you to know that by not doing the run doesn’t mean we love you or think about you any less. You would be very proud of the people your friends have grown up to be. They have blossomed and continued to be people that you would still call friends. But as graduation approaches, Dad and I wanted them to go out and impact this world (carrying a little piece of you) with each of them. I know that many of them (as they are half of our committee) would come back if we continued on, but that is not what I want them to do. So even though we said it in a quiet voice, we meant it when we said, “The run will only last four years. The four years Reed would have been in high school.”
The second and main reason is one that I know you will understand. I know because you were always a team player and an incredible big brother. Next year, both Sawyer and Erin will be in high school, and if their busyness now is any indication, we are going to be lucky to see them. I don’t want to miss one minute of what they are doing because I am tied to Reed’s Run work. I know that you would be right there cheering them on if you could be; so, I will cheer loud enough for the both of us.
I have never lied to you, even in some of life’s big questions like why did you have to have keratoconus. I just told you that we had to believe that God has a plan. Even though, I am fully confident that we are doing the right thing with letting the season of Reed’s Run come to an end, I am going to miss many things about the day. I am probably not going to miss 18 hour days to accomplish all the little details, but I am going to miss the gathering of friends and family. The hugs, the remembrance, and the honoring of those we admire are big parts of the day for me.
We will still be doing small things here and there to raise dollars for your fund, yet we aren’t sure what that is going to look like. But whatever we decide to do, it will always involve something that you loved. So while I am preparing to say good-bye to your run, I am looking forward to more time with the rest of Team Stevens. And always, ALWAYS, I am looking forward to the day that I get to see you, our babies (my own little welcoming committee) and Jesus. Where all of y’all can fill me in on what ripples in God’s pond your story had on the lives of others. Then, I will I have all eternity to listen.
I love you always, Reed!
Mom