The Story of My Son Todd
Todd camped for many months in the "Garden of the Gods" in Colorado. He wants his ashes spread there. We haven't done it yet. We aren't ready to go to the place he loved so much.
On August 23, 1973, my little redheaded son was born. After
10 hours of labor, I came to the realization that this little bundle of joy was
going to march to the beat of a different drummer. During his entrance into the world, he decided to try and be born sideways. It took many doctors, nurses, and exploring medical students to finally get this little boy turned around in the correct position. He had gorgeous red hair and beautiful blue eyes.
He was my baby, and I knew he would be my last child, but now I had all I wanted: one girl, Angie, Todd's older sister by 3 years, and now my baby boy. The American dream. Little did I know how hard it would be to hold on to that dream.
Todd was a very individual kid. There were many things that set him apart from other kids. One was his red hair; another was that he was small. In different times of his life, he tried very hard to change both. Another was his tenderheartedness and compassion, which he didn't try to change.
During his childhood days, he took part in sports that accomodated his size. Scouts, church activities, T-ball, soccer and many more. He insisted on wearing the number 10 on his soccer tee shirt in honor of his hero Pele'. He started playing at the age of 6 until the age of 14. We all had big dreams of him being seen by a college scout and getting into a good college on a soccer scholarship. He also advanced in scouting and was working on Eagle Scout. He loved Star Wars, Super Man, his Green Machine, his red Schwinn bike, and his skateboard. He had a 4-wheeler, which was popular at that time, and later a small motorcycle.
Todd played the guitar for many years. He had a regular guitar, electric bass, and an acoustical guitar. These were flowed through amplifiers and very loud speakers. His first and favorite song was "Stairway To Heaven."
Unfortunately, at the age of 14 he also began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Coming from an addictive family, Todd became addicted himself, almost immediately. Most of the rest of his life he fought a horrible fight against this terrible monster. He was in many hospitals and much intervention; sometimes helping, sometimes not.
But for many years prior to his death, Todd was clean. Those of us who knew him, loved him for the friendly, compassionate young man he was. He loved helping people and would give away almost anything in order to do so. Todd worked as a graphic designer and thoroughly enjoyed working on his computer. His passion was tinkering on his old VW bus and he absolutely loved skateboarding!
During this time, he met a young woman with a baby girl named Kezia, all of three months old. Kezia became the new love and passion of his life, and he became the father that was missing in hers. He loved her with a devotion he had never experienced in his life.
Tragically, the monster returned during the last year before Todd died. He turned back to drugs. We'll never know all the reasons why. Possibly because his wife was fighting demons of her own and the pressure was too much for either of them. Ultimately, she left him with her child and eventually his precious little girl was taken away to live with her maternal grandparents. Because of drugs, Todd lost virtually everything he had.
We never stopped loving him though, and praying for him. I saw him 5 months before he died, and talked to him on the phone only 1 week before he died. Each time I was privileged to tell him how much I loved him, and that I would always be there for him. He also told me how much he loved me, and that he was sorry. Those were our last words to each other.
On August 31, 2000, I was told by my daughter Angie that my precious Todd had died in a car accident. That day my heart broke in two and will never be the same.
My Todd is now an angel and will always live in my heart and the hearts of many others for the rest of our earthly days.
