Matthew Daniel Hughes--December 14, 1990 - February 01, 2008

Happy Birthday, Matt. We miss and love you everyday, but especially on your birthday and near the holidays. It's hard to believe you would be 21 today. I am so grateful to have celebrated all your birthdays with you and now we continue to celebrate your life now that your gone. We all miss you terribly! Happy Birthday, buddy! To Matt---3 Years later

I still miss your smile, and your laugh. I still miss your unique sense of humor.
I still miss the way you loved to argue every point even if we were on the same side.
I still miss the way you could say so much with so few words.
I still miss the way you can’t match color and would constantly ask me if things matched. I still miss the way you could still be hungry ten minutes after eating a full meal.
I still miss the way you would tease your sister, then secretly be nice to her when you thought I wasn’t watching.
I still miss the way you would sing at the top of your lungs in the car at the most random songs just to make everyone laugh hysterically.
I still miss everything that is you, your voice, your smell, your loud presence in the house.
I still miss your hugs the most, I think, because you gave them so freely and so often.
And 3 years later, I’m still waiting for you to walk back through that door…3 years later.
I will love and miss you forever…Mom

At the finest level of my being,
You're still with me.
We still look at each other at
That level beyond sight.
We talk and laugh with each other on
Level beyond touch.
We share time together in a
Place where time stands still.
We are still together on a
Level called love.
But I cry alone for you
In a place called reality.

----Richard Lepins

December was always my favorite month...now its just such a difficult, confusing month.  The day you were born was the best day of my life, I became a mom & I had a purpose in life.  You would be 20 this month...How is it possible that I could have a child that would be 20?  I remember being 20 yrs old not so long ago & you were 2 yrs old.....I was so happy.  Not even realizing how happy I was.  I still cant believe that you are not here to celebrate your birthday with me....We all miss you terribly everday, but on special days--the anguish is overwhelming.  Its very confusing to not be happy on your birthday because you did celebrate 17 birthdays with us & now....what do we do?  Celebrate? I dont what to do without you..its been almost 3 years & I still cant figure out how to live without you.   We all miss you terribly everyday, Matt....birthdays & holidays & anniversaries seem to hurt more because they are so confusing.  I/m grateful for the time we had with you Matt...but it could never be enough for me....Love & miss you buddy! 

On this Thanksgiving 2010--

As I bow my weary head today
And I say my Thanksgiving prayer,
I look up across our table
And I see it... that empty chair.

Oh God, what can I be thankful for?
I miss his smile, I miss his kiss.
But I will try to be thankful
Though all I feel is emptiness.

Through the emptiness I am thankful
For seventeen wonderful years.
The times we all spent together
Through much happiness, love and tears.

I'm thankful for what Matt has taught us
About things in life that matter.
Like, money's just not important
And there's always room for laughter.

I'm thankful for memories of Matthew
That drift through my mind from the past.
His glowing smile, his one arm hugs,
And that big incredible laugh.

I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving day
Our remaining family shares.
But most of all I'm thankful for...
All the things in that empty chair.

We love & miss you Matt

This is the birthday memorial I put in our local newspaper for Matt's Birthday....... 

In Loving Memory of Matthew Hughes
December 14, 1990  – February 1, 2008

I was barley 18 on the day you were born. I remember being so scared because my life had changed so much. Time went by and we figured life out together. Now, 18 years later I have no idea how to live my life without you. Love you, buddy.
We all love you and miss you, Happy Birthday Matt…

Please Light a Candle while you are here, it truly helps to know that Matt is not forgotten.

God's Lent Child
I’ll lend you for a little while, a child of mine, God said
For you to love the while he lives and mourn for when he’s dead.
It may be six or seven years, or forty-two or three
But will you, till I call him back, take care of him for me?
He’ll bring his charms to gladden you and should his stay be brief
You’ll always have his memories as a solace in your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay, since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught below I want this child to learn.
I’ve looked this whole world over in my search for teachers true
And from the folk that crowd Life’s lane I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love and not think the labour vain,
Nor hate me when I come to take this lent child back again?
I fancy that I heard them say “Dear God, thy will be done.
For all the joys this child will bring the risk of grief we’ll run.
We will shelter him with tenderness, we’ll love him while we may
And for all the happiness we’ve ever known, we’ll ever grateful stay.
But should the angels call him much sooner than we’d planned
We will brave the bitter grief that comes and try to understand."
~ Author Unknown

Matt lived his life for only 17 years, 1 month, 18 days but left a lifetime of happy memories for his family and friends.  We are Matt's family: Dennis and Amber Berberich,  his siblings: Courtney, Stacey and Bradley Berberich, his nephew-Tucker,  his grandparents, aunts, uncle, cousins, his girlfriend, Jess and his many friends. 

A Hero Poem--1/15/2008

My Mom is my Hero

She is very good to me

She doesn't let me run with scissors

Because she's concerned about my well being

I respect her alot

Even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes.

Still I really do try

Even when I'm wrong

We can still compromise

On rational things

I really do wanna spread my wings and fly..

But at the same time I don't wanna leave her side.

I want to thank Cindy Small, Matt's Success Teacher brought this poem to me today.  I had never seen it before today, Cindy wanted to save it for me for Mother's Day.  Thanks so much Cindy!! What a wonderful gift.

Life will never be the same without him. Our family is forever changed. My heart will never be whole again. To bury a child is the worst tragedy anyone could have to survive and still we do. Dying is easy, Living is the hardest.

To know Matt  was to love him.  I remember when I was pregnant with Matt and I was trying to decide on the perfect name for my child, I always loved the name Matthew, I looked in the baby name book and it said the name Matthew meant "gift from God", I knew from that moment that was the name I would give my child.  He truly was a gift from God to me.  I reminded him of that fact alot as the years went by and as he grew into a teenager he kept reminding me of the fact that he was "God's Gift".  Another way his humor always amazes me.  He always had a gift for changing my words to suit his mood.

Anyone who knew Matt would agree with me that the one thing that defined him was his QUIRKY sense of humor.  Matt had ways of making people laugh.  Matt and I laughed alot.  No matter how mad I was at him for whatever reason he could always smooth it over with some random act of comedy.

 I chose to remember the love and memory of his life not the tragic car accident that led to his death.

My love for Matt never fades, never ceases, he never leaves my thoughts or my side, Matt lives in my heart forever.   

I love and miss you so much, Matt.  17 years was not enough. 

I hope all of you enjoy the memories of Matt as much as I do, this is a work in progress so check back.  I will add more as the days go by.  Also my myspace page also has lots more pictures. MySpace URL:

http://www.myspace.com/inlovingmemoryofmatt

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers..we could all use more. 

InLovingMemoryofMatt,

Amber