Dear fellow Hanoverians:
I am hard-pressed to find adequate words to describe what the loss of Matthew Cox means to our community. I think one of the things that strikes me the most is the outpouring from all corners of town…young and old, classmates and teammates, parents and grandparents…for a ten year old boy who so many of us knew, but so many more of us did not know, myself included. So, we got to know him, we prayed for him, we wept for him, and when it was announced Friday that he was gone, we wept some more.
Matt was a Hanover boy. Raised here until last summer by his kindhearted and loving parents Ann and Bill, he played sports here, went to church here, and he grew as old as he would become here. His tragic zip-lining accident the day after Christmas was every parent’s worst nightmare. The innocence of a child, snatched while laughing and playing? Whose heart would not break at that news?
So we did what Hanoverians do. We rallied around Matt and his family. We stopped each other in the hall or grocery store to check in with news about him. We read “Caring Bridge” updates to each other at work, posted Facebook updates on our smartphones, and created “Messages for Matthew” on a website. Hundreds of light blue ribbons were wrapped around telephone poles and mailboxes all over town. Games were dedicated to him. We donated money, took up collections of gift cards, and printed up bracelets. We gathered at St. Mary’s to pray, and some even found renewed faith thanks to Matt and his family. We shared stories of Matt in the classroom, on the ball fields and skating rinks, and in our homes. And we hoped, and we cried together.
He brought us together, that too-young Hanover boy. For four weeks, we were a little softer around each other, and perhaps a little more forgiving. Some of us played with a bit more intensity because we realized how fleeting play can be, and I am sure we were more loving when looking in the eyes of a child. From all I have heard about him, that sounds like who Matthew Cox was every day for his ten years: softer, forgiving, playful and loving. Maybe we’ve all become a little bit more like him. What a gift therefore he was to our community! Godspeed Matthew Cox. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who loved you.
For "Around Town on the Web",
Cathy H-B
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I am hard-pressed to find adequate words to describe what the loss of Matthew Cox means to our community. I think one of the things that strikes me the most is the outpouring from all corners of town…young and old, classmates and teammates, parents and grandparents…for a ten year old boy who so many of us knew, but so many more of us did not know, myself included. So, we got to know him, we prayed for him, we wept for him, and when it was announced Friday that he was gone, we wept some more.
Matt was a Hanover boy. Raised here until last summer by his kindhearted and loving parents Ann and Bill, he played sports here, went to church here, and he grew as old as he would become here. His tragic zip-lining accident the day after Christmas was every parent’s worst nightmare. The innocence of a child, snatched while laughing and playing? Whose heart would not break at that news?
So we did what Hanoverians do. We rallied around Matt and his family. We stopped each other in the hall or grocery store to check in with news about him. We read “Caring Bridge” updates to each other at work, posted Facebook updates on our smartphones, and created “Messages for Matthew” on a website. Hundreds of light blue ribbons were wrapped around telephone poles and mailboxes all over town. Games were dedicated to him. We donated money, took up collections of gift cards, and printed up bracelets. We gathered at St. Mary’s to pray, and some even found renewed faith thanks to Matt and his family. We shared stories of Matt in the classroom, on the ball fields and skating rinks, and in our homes. And we hoped, and we cried together.
He brought us together, that too-young Hanover boy. For four weeks, we were a little softer around each other, and perhaps a little more forgiving. Some of us played with a bit more intensity because we realized how fleeting play can be, and I am sure we were more loving when looking in the eyes of a child. From all I have heard about him, that sounds like who Matthew Cox was every day for his ten years: softer, forgiving, playful and loving. Maybe we’ve all become a little bit more like him. What a gift therefore he was to our community! Godspeed Matthew Cox. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who loved you.
For "Around Town on the Web",
Cathy H-B
--
"Around Town on the Web" ("ATOTW") has been a valued push notification since the spring of 2004 - long before there were push notifications!
For submission guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions about "ATOTW", please go to http://www.atotw.com.
To search for archived "ATOTW" news, view the archive.
If you would like to be added to this distribution list, click here. Please follow the link in the response e-mail to validate your account. You will not receive "ATOTW" e-mails until you complete this step.
If you would like to be removed from this distribution list, click here.
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