I miss you Dilon. The summer has been hard for me without you.  Your friends are all over the place and I wonder what to do with my feelings.  People still talk about you and I know they will never forget.   I think about your parents and your sister and how difficult it must be for them.  Have I been able to grasp the reality of this?  I just want you to be here to do what I know we would be doing, and getting your hugs and seeing your smile. love you forever

I believe imagination is stronger than knowledge

Myth more potent than history

Dreams more powerful than facts

Hope always triumphs over experience

Laughter is the cure for grief

Love is stronger than death....

Dillon,

I was in California for the last week and a half and just finally got settled back in New York. The vacation was a nice break from life on the east coast, and as always your name was in nearly every conversation and put a smile on everyone's faces. It has been two years and it still feels like a dream from which I am on the verge of awakening from. You could have walked in the front door and nothing would have seemed out of the ordinary. Whenever I close my eyes I see that infectious smile, but what I would give to see it in person. I miss you Dillon, plain and simple. You are always in my thoughts and in my heart, where you will forever stay.

Your cousin,

Jon

Two years have passed since Dillon's death, and I never wrote you to express how deeply it affected me.  To be honest, I wasn't really able to bring my feelings about it into writing for a long time- I'm horrible at dealing with death and tend to internalize it and shove it away, so losing Dillon was especially hard for me to confront.  I'm thnking about Dillon and I feel like I should let you know how important he was to me.

I met Dillon before we started 9th grade and I was at a pretty tumultuous point in my life.  I am not sure that I ever talked to Dillon about my own stuff that was going on at the time, but I didn't have to- he had such an exuberant personality that the stuff that upset me would just seem trivial.  He made me know that I was important to him at a point when I felt completely lost; even before he passed away, Dillon's friendship stood out to me as being particularly special.  The fact is, though, that I think this was everyone's relationship with him; he made me, and made everyone, happy by virtue of his presence.  To spend time with Dillon was a reminder that you were loved, which is why, in turn, the love we all had for him was so deep.

My family and I are all sending our love, and I'll keep remembering Dillon.

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Admin reply: your thougthts and words are appreciated...
to know about those who continue to love and hold Dillon close to their hearts is a small gift to us
thank you for your generous donation

we often think about you and all the people in Dillon's life and are grateful to hear from you

It was through the memory of Dillon that my daughter received a generous scholarship to help with college expenses.  I will always have a prayer in my heart for Dillon and his loving family and friends.

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It truly seems unbelievable that this is the second anniversary of Dillon's passing.  I still fool myself regularly and think he's just at college.  So often I avoid the reality, because it remains too unreal.  It's wonderful how much good has been done in Dillon's name, but I just keep wishing that Dillon could be doing the good, and not Harriet, Steve, Taylor and others, all  in Dillon's name.  As always, thinking of Dillon and missing him enormously.  Love, Anne

Its never easy, and its still hard to believe its been 2 years. We all still wonder why? We miss you and love you so much Dillon, you've left and still leave an impact on our lives. You're never forgotten.

Rest in Paradise D-Hen