Saying Goodbye is so hard!

Our dear friend and former student from Glad Tidings Youth Ministry died early this morning and we are having to say goodbye. He has been very sick for a long time with heart issues from childhood. This was the best thing for him. He is finally free of his pain and suffering. However now we are left behind and the world will never be the same without his sweet spirit and smile. He brought such joy to my boys and to my husband. Nick was his mentor for years and gave him counsel and encouragement. He loved Aaron for who he was and Aaron loved that. He needed an ally and that was something Nick was happy to be for him. He was only 19 years old and still had so much more to live for but God had a different plan for this young man and now he is out of his pain and truly healed. I will miss his visits and his spunk. I pray for his mother who is now having to move forward without her boy and all that he brought into her life. Farewell my dear sweet friend and blessings to the whole McConnell family.
I will leave you with this sweet poem your sister wrote about you.

You hang by a small thread,
onto your frail life.
Living for a chance to breath in,
a deep fresh air,
that will bring you healing, once again.

The road you've walked,
is not like most.
It's been full of things,
that many cannot bear.
Yet you have a strength,
that has brought you thus far.
You danced to life's song,
with a gentle spirit,
that touched many lives.

Will the tears ever dry?
I don't think so.
I'm not ready to let you go,
But knowing God has you in his arms,
leaves more peace in my heart.
Knowing you are whole again,
presses joy in my spirit.