Merry Christmas!

Seems hard to believe this is our fourth Christmas without Brian.  It is amazing how life goes on.  How we are all busy, moving from point A to B and yet we always want more time.  We want more time to do the things we really want to do.  To spend more time with our family.  To say the things we want – and are supposed to say to our loved ones.  We want the experiences that you think back during tough times and say; “yeah, that was a great day.”  It has been my opinion  almost all these great memories are associated with family.  Sure, we may have a good day at work, but does anyone really want to think about completing another “TPS Report” on your deathbed?

As Brian has always said; “family is everything.”  We look forward to spending the Christmas season with our family.  Sure everyone likes presents (especially the kids).  But, we all really enjoy the  shared experiences – the laughter, the unbelievable amounts of food my Mom prepares, and seeing how we all react to the many turns in our lives.  This is what I am the most sorrowful about.  That Brian cannot physically be with us.  To congratulate Justin & Jenny on their engagement.  To make Joanna puke again by drinking some noxious soda pop.  To see how beautiful Patrick and Caroline are.  To be with us period.  However, I feel like he knows.  That he helps us.  That Brian is doing everything he can to be apart of our lives.  We (especially me) are probably too obtuse to see his help occur in real time.  But, I have the cool comfort of knowing that he is – and will be – with us. 

Sometimes our closest friends help us more than they know.   Russ Newsom is a dear friend of the McCormick family.  I met him while he was a student at Xavier.  He went on to work in the West Wing of George W. Bush’s White House, graduated from Chicago Law School and now works as a lawyer for a prestigious Cincinnati law firm.  Russ is destined for great things.  The McCormick family treat Russ like he is one of own and frequently attend Xavier basketball games with him.  Brian was especially fond of him.  Recently, Russ unexpectedly sent us a large, beautiful photo of a tip off at the Cintas Center featuring past XU basketball standouts Derrick Brown, Stanley Burrell, BJ Raymond and Josh Duncan.  It is really cool and for some reason Susan will not let me hang it in our bedroom!   Susan and I were very excited and called Russ to thank him.  He said  “You have done more for me than you I can do for you.  I love you guys.”  After we hung up, Susan said “didn’t he sound exactly like Brian?  Didn’t you feel like Brian was talking directly to us? Wouldn’t he say those exact words?”  What is amazing, is Russ DID sound like Brian. His cadence, inflection and joyous speech pattern was extremely similar to our Brian.   This conversation made Susan and I smile.

I don’t know how (or if) Brian somehow pulled this conversation via Russ off, but I like to think he did.  I like thinking he is always with us even if we can’t see him.  I like thinking he is my “super” guardian angel that can pull a rabbit out of the hat for me and our family when we really need it.  I like him knowing how much we miss him, how much he is loved and how we look forward to being with him on the other side some day.  In my mind, these small signs are his way of communicating back to us, indicating he is with us and saying “I love you guys.” 

We can’t bring him back.  Yet, we will always have our memories, stories and love for Brian.  Our shared experiences will always be with us and discussed – because few people outside of those who knew Brian would actually believed they occurred!  They did.  For that, we are grateful.    

And yes, Brian, I will watch “The Christmas Story,” eat duck dip and say “Armand Assante” for you tonight! 

Merry Christmas to all and may 2012 exceed your expectations!

"Your brother must have been a special kind of person to make such a huge impact on the lives of so many people."

Dear Mr. Matthew McCormick:

I would like to say I am sorry for the loss of your brother. My name is ______ _____. This fall was my first semester at Xavier University. My parents are 250 miles away in northern Ohio. They are going through some serious medical conditions right now, which have caused financial hardships. With the help of your brother’s scholarship (given by Mr. Schiess), I will be able to continue my education at Xavier. Your brother must have been a special kind of person to make such a huge impact on the lives of so many people.  Just recently, I lost a few close family friends and relatives. I know it is hard and is not something you get over easily. I want to thank you, again, for keeping your brother’s memory alive at Xavier.  I will be forever grateful.

Thankfully,

Name withheld

Dear Mr. McCormick:

Because of your contribution and donation towards my schooling, I was able to stay enrolled at Xavier this semester. You are a great person for what you have done and I wanted to send a big THANK YOU your way.

Happy holidays!

Name withheld

** Brian certainly was a "special kind of person" and he did, indeed, make a big impact on almost everyone he met. Again, this is not "my" fund, nor are the contributions solely from me. They are also from Brian's family, friends, relatives, and the extended Xavier Nation. I just made the blog and post your thank you notes so we can all remember him and share a smile. Finally, this fund was always Brian's idea. We are proud that he has helped 60 Xavier students stay in school. Amazing! Thanks, Matt **