The definition of hope has different meanings to each of us. I recently had the way I perceive the word radically altered. Shortly before school let out for the summer I went to pick up my son from Middle School on an early release day. Pulling into the parking lot I sensed something was off (mom intuition kicked in) …there was security and teachers standing where the buses and parents come to pick up their kids. When school let out it was very obvious it wasn’t a “normal” day and a police car pulled into the parking lot soon after the kids started trickling out.
As my son approached the car I could see the devastated look on his face and I held my breath until he opened the door and climbed in…then managed to choke out the question…”Are you ok?” He replied with words I’ll never forget and never want to hear again. “My friend died today mom.” I was overcome with sadness yet somehow between our tears he got through the story that was later confirmed by the school as well as several local news stations. Quinn was running during PE when his heart failed. The staff did everything possible as did the paramedics, but the damage was too great and he passed away shortly after collapsing on the track.
The day of the funeral arrived and I’d promised to drive my son and some friends who didn’t have rides available during the day. I picked them up from school and on the way I began to dread what was about to take place. What should I say to them…how can I comfort them…were questions that were screaming in my mind. What I’d forgotten and was reminded of shortly after is that God is in control. 
He already had those answers and many more planned for the church packed to capacity to honor Quinn. The words were inspired and though there were tears over the loss of such an incredible young man, the message of hope was clear. Friends and relatives shared many stories about the lives he’d touched and how he cared about everyone. During his thirteen short years he accomplished more than many who live infinitely longer.
The idea that this young man who hadn’t even begun to live his life made such an impression and impact on those he met is a wake up call to all of us. What if we were to die tomorrow…what would be said about us…would the message be full of hope or do we live solely for ourselves? 
Do we accept everyone or are we quick to judge? What I personally learned that gave me hope is that one person CAN make a difference.
Psalm 71:5
O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O LORD, from childhood.
I recently read a note from Quinn’s family that thanked everyone for their prayers and support. Due to the amazing things they’ve heard about their son, the expression “Care Like Quinn” was created. In a world where tomorrow is taken for granted…have you taken time today to “Care Like Quinn?”
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Thanks for sharing Quinn’s story. It is very important that we care today.
So true…thank you!
::teary eyed:: I’m not your ‘typical’ religious person (I doubt there is a ‘typical type’ anyway). I connected with what you said though, that God is in control. While grieving, we should try to take comfort in knowing that God has us all in his hand. I guess if I died tomorrow, I would hope that people would say, “I may not have agreed with her, but I trusted her to speak her mind (usually in a kindhearted way), and to stand up for her principles, with her life.”
Thank you Bridget, you definately have a gift, a talent that enables you to convey so eloquently the emotion and impact of the events surrounding this young man’s life and passing, and how he effected lives of others around him. This is and has always been true, similar to the movies “Its a wonderful life” & “Pay it forward”, we should always be reminded of how each of our lives has value and impacts many other lives whether we are aware of it or not. I am happy to have rekindled a friendship all these years later. The Lord moves/works in mysterious ways indeed.
Bridget,
Your thought-provoking post hits a little too close to home for me. I remember hearing this sad story about the loss of such a promising young man on our local news. After feeling suffocated by all the other day’s news… disturbing stories where the “bad guy” seems to always more often than not be the one still living, I found myself asking God for answers. “Why, I just don’t understand.”
Thanks for sharing a beautiful message of hope and what’s truly important in this world, “Care like Quinn.” I think you could have been listening to Josh Groban to write this post
!
Ha-ha Josh keeps popping up in our “chats”…
If everyone could “Care Like Quinn” what a great world we would live in!!
Wow.
I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for that family.
I think that is the part that hit me the hardest…it could have just as easily been my son who didn’t come home from school that day…
Thanks for stopping by and for the follow on Twitter
Bridget, your thoughts on hope challenge me to live in a way that shows I care for friends and family. I am encouraged that many are looking at how they feel about God because of your thoughts. That is a key question–perhaps the key question all of us must answer. I am trying to know God better. Not as who I want Him to be, but who He really is. In the end God is who He is, not necessarily who we want Him to be. Fortunately, the God I see in the bible is better than I would have made up on my own. Thanks for your thoughts.
I believe knowing God better is the key for all of us. It’s the most important relationship we have yet many of us spend less time working on it than anything else we do. Thanks Chris!
Great post! It always amazes and redirects me when I see one young life that has touched so many others. Definitely stops you in your tracks to refocus on what’s important. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you…it does cause you to refocus and hopefully is a reminder of what really matters in life.
Hi Bridget,
Thank you so much for such a nice blog and the message to “Care like Quinn”. He was an amazing kid who cared so deeply for everyone in his life and we miss him terribly. We know we were so blessed to have had 13+ wonderful years with him as our son and brother. We will try to make sure good things will be done in his memory to help other families avoid this pain we are dealing with from our loss of Quinn. To anyone reading this message I just ask that you have your kids tested for heart disease. It’s a simple EKG and it could have saved Quinns life.
Much Love,
Kelly(the proud mother of Quinn)
Kelly you should feel proud…you raised an amazing son! You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you for spreading the word about heart disease and EKG’s and I hope everyone takes the time to “Care Like Quinn”.
If Josh does pop-in and I don’t get to know first hand-you are no daughter of mine-
Now to the serious stuff-by the way, I may be Bridget’s mother which make’s me old, not dead, not blind, not deaf!
I never had the priviledge of knowing Quinn. I’m the Grandma who lives in Georgia and only knows Andrew and Jilly through way of to seldom airline trips, phone calls and emails. After reading your article Bird I feel the world is a lot better place for Quinn having been here.
I worked wth children in my church for over 18 years. We only lost one child. He was only 6 years old. To little to have left his mark on the world. I taught first graders then, his friends, one of them Bird’s brother, Jimmy. In class that week we all sat on the floor, huddled together. The kids wanted to know “why” had God taken their friend to heaven. Jimmy told them, “Why not? He is with God. He will never know pain or suffering. No one will tease him. He will only know happiness and love and in a while his whole family will join him there.”
Out of the mouths of babes!
I asked Jimmy what I could do to help him through all this and this 6 year old wanted to go to the Celebration Ceremony for his friend so I took him. As we were leaving he walked over to the mother and said,”Your son loved you very much and I know he would have wanted me to give you this.” and he hugged her.
Maybe God sends us little ones who accomplish their life’s work in a shorter amount of time than others and then He rewards them by bringing them home sooner. Although it is hard on the loved one’s left behind, maybe they should seek comfort in the knowledge of the peace their child is in forever, but seems to them like a blink of an eye till you join them their, and all the good their life brought. I never could have taught my son that which he learned then. It came from God himself, through a little boys mouth to comfort and heal and he has NEVER forgotten the impact it took on his life and he is now 33. Bird keep writing, keep helping. I am so proud of you.
To the Quinn’s mother, thank you for a wonderful son, who touched my grandson so greated and inspired by daughted and son in law both to write of him. He lead an inspiring life. You need not fear he is wth God, waitng on you and your family to join him. Time is meaningless there, it is just so long here. In the spirit of his love, you must continue living…one day at a tme. God’s peace be with you and all my love.
Terry Pogue
Mom
Thanks for sharing mom…I love you!
You are touching lives and helping people better understand their own emotions in difficult times and reminding them that HOPE is such an important word. Keep sharing and loving as you always do.
I appreciate the encouragement!
That blog writen for Quinn was amazing. Kelly and Scott are very nice and caring parents and they are very lucky to have such blessed children and Quinn was one of them. I feel very upset ever since Quinn died. He was a very mature and grown-up boy and Kelly and Scott were and still are very blessed to have spectacular children. You are in my prayers.
I’m sorry for your pain Sarah. Thank you for your kind words and sharing your heart.
HI Bean(aka Sarah),
Thanks for the nice message and your prayers! We are very blessed to have spectacular children and we think their friends are just as spectacular!!
Much Love,
Kelly
The power of HOPE in a sad, painful world touches all of us one
way or another. HOPE triumphs. Thank you, Bridget, for honoring Quinn’s life and reminding us of our blessings each day.