Letter #3

Dear Tyler;

We went to Camelot for Memorial Day.  Every member of our family was there—your siblings, their spouses, all four grandsons—except you.  I think you would have had fun, if you had been able to come.  Your nephews would have loved having you there.  They think you are awesome and you are so good with them when you are around them.  The two oldest ones have the most memories of you. They would have loved to play with you there and have you pass on the traditions of fun that were made when you were little. 

We have been going to Camelot all summer long ever since you were a baby.  I can still remember a picture of you taking a bath in the sink at Grandpa’s cabin when you were about 9 months old.  You loved it.

It was always fun for you when we went to Camelot when you were young.  You liked everything about it—playing in the river, tubing, fishing, catching snakes, riding ATV’s, playing on the slip ‘n slide, climbing the mountain, watching Sponge Bob in the cabin, shooting marshmallow guns, roasting hot dogs, and then burning a whole bag of marshmallows—one at a time, boating, going to the Green River to go rafting, and especially playing with your best friend and playmate, your big sister.

I think when she got older and couldn’t go to Camelot with us every time, you stopped liking it as much because it wasn’t the same without her. 

Soon after that you pulled away, got angry all the time, and started with the marijuana and everything else.    

Even knowing that we had to beg you and bribe you to get you to come to Camelot with us as you got older, I am glad that we did—just because now you can’t come and I wish you could.  At least we can remember those days when you were a laughing happy kid there.  There isn’t anything more important in life than family and we really have had some good family times at Camelot.  I hope someday you will come to that realization and maybe we can start making some new memories together.

As we were driving away at the end of our Memorial Day weekend, your dad said, “It was a really good weekend and would have even been greater, if we could have had a nice, happy Tyler with us.”  He missed you.

Every time we go there this summer, I’ll be thinking about you and missing you, too.

Love,

Mom