19TH BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday, Bubby.  Today you would have turned 19.  Oh how we've missed you these past two and a half years.  As I've thought of birthdays past this week, I've also wondered what you would be doing today.  Would you be going to school?  Would you be serving our country and be stationed somewhere in the USA or overseas?  Would your hair be really short or would you grow it out?  How much taller did you grow--did you reach your goal--be taller than Clint? Are you still wearing basketball shorts all the time?

Today we are going to say good-bye to Mr. Hodgson.  Remember your PowerPoint on deer that you made for his class?  Remember how you even got some of Dad's sheds so you could record a "rattle" for the presentation?  You really enjoyed working on that project.  Deer seemed to be the topic of many research projects you did for school.

Today will be a really sad day...saying good-bye to a really great man and remembering the fact that we should be celebrating your birthday.  But we will celebrate too.  This morning in the gym we will celebrate Mr. Hodgson and all the good he did in this world.  We will return to the gym tonight to celebrate the girls basketball team and their success this season.  You would be proud of the girls and Mr. Strong.  They have worked hard this season--we will celebrate them--win or lose.

Above all we will celebrate the young man you were and celebrate the fact we had you for sixteen years.

As always...I am proud to say that I am...

~Andrew's Mom