We are Aidan’s parents. These are our words to him, and our way of keeping his memory close.
Happy 13th Birthday my beautiful boy! I miss you so much.
Poem: “In Time” — Pam J. Pastirik
Time cannot erase the sorrow and pain that I feel,
Nor can it make things better
Or force my heart to heal.
Time is now a measure of the days since you've been gone,
Of getting by the best I can,
And trying to be strong.
Time should mend a broken heart.
That's what they say,
But time will never change the fact that you've gone away.
Our days are busy with work, school, and extracurricular activities but not a single day goes by when we don’t think about and miss you. You are forever in our hearts.
Happy 12th Birthday to our sweet boy! We thank you for the memories and beautiful brother you have given us. Yet, the emptiness in our hearts will never go away. We miss you every single day and will do our best to honor you.
We celebrated another birthday without you here. I miss you so much and wish every day that I could hold you once again. You have made me a better person and I am grateful for all that you gave and all that you continue to give me. You truly are one amazing boy.
Another year has flown by without you here, with only sweet memories to hold on to. We will continue to celebrate your life because you brought so much joy to our lives. We miss you dearly.
Every day for the past 2 years has been difficult. And every day for the rest of my life will have difficult times because you are not here. But in your brothers I am finding hope because I see you living on through them. I miss you so much Aidan.
It’s hard not to believe in fate. Maybe you were meant to fly high and soar, my beautiful 亦翟, even if you had to leave me so soon. My heart is so broken and I will miss you until the day I die. But I realize that I still need to be grateful for what I have. I am grateful for your brothers, especially because you are part of them. I see you in them and that is how I have learned to move forward without you here.
I wish you could meet your baby brother. He wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. He is your gift to us. We will share memories of you with him every day, having him grow up knowing you even though you two will never meet. We miss you every day and carry you in our hearts everywhere we go.
Happy 9th Birthday Aidan! Another birthday without you here… We love you and miss you so much. Thank you for all the beautiful memories.
A memorial verse Aidan’s family shared
"You were my light, my heart, my gift of love and joy, from the very highest source.
So everyday, I vow to make a difference, share a smile, live, laugh, and love.
Now I live for us both, so all I do, I do to honor you."
It has been one year since you were taken from me and I struggle every day dealing with the fact that I can no longer kiss you and hold you in my arms, and that I can no longer see your endless energy in action. You were so special and such a blessing; you have inspired me to do things I never thought I could accomplish. I will try my best to continue to honor you and make the best of my time here, but I look forward to the day when we will meet again. I love you and miss you every single day!
A memorial poem
The moment that you left me
My heart was split in two
One side was filled with memories
The other side died with you.
I often lay awake at night
When the world is fast asleep
And take a walk down memory lane
With tears upon my cheek.
Remembering you is easy
I do it everyday
But missing you is a heartache
That never goes away.
I hold you tightly within my heart
And there you will remain
You see, life has gone on without you
But will never be the same.
We miss you so much Aidan!
Poem: “In Memory” — author unknown
Those we love remain with us,
for love itself lives on.
Cherished memories never fade,
because a loved one is gone.
Those we love can never be
more than a thought apart.
For as long as there is a memory,
they’ll live on in our heart.
Poem: “Remembering” — Elizabeth Dent
Go ahead and mention my loved one,
The one that died, you know.
Don’t worry about hurting me further
The depth of my pain doesn’t show.
Don’t worry about making me cry, I’m already crying inside.
Help me to heal by releasing the tears that I try to hide.
I’m hurt when you just keep silent,
Pretending they didn’t exist,
I’d rather you mention my loved one
Knowing that they have been missed.
You asked me how I was doing, I say “pretty good” or “fine”
But healing is something ongoing, I feel it will take a lifetime.
Lyric excerpt: “Dynamite” — Taio Cruz
"...I’m gonna be the last one standing ... I’m gonna be the last one landing..."
Aidan always had so much energy every day, from the moment he woke up in the morning until he finally fell asleep at night. Every time I hear songs he enjoyed, I think of Aidan, and am reminded how special he truly was.
Yesterday was the first October 22nd that we had to celebrate without Aidan here with us. We miss his presence, his energy, his smile, his love for bouncehouse birthday parties and handball, and much more. It was an extremely tough day, and we are thankful that we have the love and support of our friends and family. In honor of our beautiful Aidan, please always remember to drive safely and watch for pedestrians.
Four months ago I felt complete and whole. Then in an instant, my life was shattered into countless pieces. There is still and always will be a void without Aidan here, but I am slowly picking up the pieces now, and putting myself back together. I miss you so very much, my da baobei. You will be forever in my heart.
Poem: “Afterglow” — Helen Lowrie Marshall
I'd like the memory of me
To be a happy one.
I'd like to leave an afterglow
Of smiles when life is done.
I'd like to leave an echo
Whispering softly down the ways
Of happy times and laughing times
And bright and sunny days.
I'd like the tears of those who grieve
To dry before the sun
Of happy memories that I leave
When life is done.
Thank you Aidan, for all the happiness, joy, and smiles that you brought to this world. We love you and miss you!
It’s been two months now and we still feel such an emptiness without our Aidan. I know he would want us to try to be happy and keep on going without him, but sometimes that’s the last thing on our minds. We have to keep reminding ourselves that while Aidan’s time was cut short, his time with us and with all of his friends and family had a great impact. He was an amazing person and would have carried that through to adulthood. Aidan had such a kind heart and took care of his little brother and always kept an eye out for everyone. He was a great helper to his friends and teachers, he had big dreams that he could have accomplished. Aidan… you are amazing! We love you son!
Six and a half weeks have passed and it’s still tough not having our Aidan around. Those little things that he used to do that would bug us are now the things that we miss. We are saddened by Aidan’s passing, but also have to look and see the happiness that he brought us while he was with us. Now we just have the pictures, videos and memories of Aidan. We love you very much Aidan and miss you more than you could imagine!
Dear Aidan, it’s been one month since you left us. Not a day has gone by when I haven’t cried thinking about you and missing you. I miss you soooo very much — your voice, your hugs, your crazy amount of energy. But at least I know that you are safe now, and you will never be hurt again.
Sometimes I think about the tough times I had with disciplining you, but they don’t matter anymore because overall, I think that you were PERFECT. You made our family life so beautiful and you made the world a better place… I heard a song yesterday, and I think it’s a perfect song about you. You were my joy, my dream, my strength, my light, and so much more. You got me through so many rough times and helped me accomplish so much in life, and although you never said it, I know that you believed in me, and I truly was blessed because I was loved by you.
I love you so much Aidan, and although I am still so very sad, I know you are going to help me, Daddy, and Logan heal. We will learn to move on without your physical presence, but you will ALWAYS be in our hearts.
Song lyrics: “Because You Loved Me” — performed by Celine Dion
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through, through it all
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand, I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love, I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
It’s been four weeks since Aidan passed away; sometimes it feels like it was so long ago and other times it feels like it was just yesterday. I never imagined life without Aidan. Aidan brought us so much joy and happiness. Without him, life has an empty feeling. With both of my boys and Deb, life felt complete; now it’s like we’re trying to drive our car on three wheels. Aidan is in our hearts, but we want him by our sides. I miss you so much son and there really aren’t words that can describe how much it hurts. We love you!
Aidan, you were such a strong person. You survived part of my intern year in my belly, and then the rest of residency with so much energy. You survived the scorching heat in Fresno. You experienced so many changes with me and Daddy during our first years together, and never complained. You loved your brother with all your heart and more — you gave your life to protect his. Just know that Logan misses you very much. You will always be in our hearts. WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU SO MUCH!!
Love, Mommy
First Father’s Day without Aidan — we miss our Aidan so much, he was so full of life and love. He had such a big heart and was the most amazing boy. We love you Aidan!