I’m trying to think of how Ryan and Luke would want to be remembered. The major point of reference I have is how I felt when I was 10 and 12 years old. Since I always start with Luke, let’s start with Ryan for a change. Pictured left is Ryan, June 5, 2010, in Egypt. Here he is “lifting” a pyramid with one hand. When I was 10 years old, I can remember having major crushes on girls and I always wanted them to know how strong and capable I was. If Ryan was anything like me, he would want me to find a picture of him bench pressing 100 pounds and post it here on the blog. I don’t have such a picture, so here is Ryan lifting a pyramid with one hand. That’s pretty strong, Ryan! Ryan actually was pretty strong and he might have been able to bench 100 pounds. They had a weight set. I don’t know who he had major crushes on, and I wouldn’t want to embarrass him or anybody else, but I’m sure there was somebody he thought about a lot.
For Luke, let me think. Hmmm. I was in Middle School, just like Luke, when I was 12. I got beyond the show-off stuff but I still loved girls. I remember being intellectually curious. I think Luke liked being labeled as smart. He spent a lot of time reading and learning new things and he frequently offered “alternative viewpoints” for his teachers in class. Many of his teachers commented that Luke kept them on their toes. He traveled, saw so many things and did so many things that he really knew a lot. I remember last month, I was at one of his friend’s house and there were some older kids there that went on the Bonaire trip. One was in high school and the other in college and they both said Luke was “whip” smart. He had already finished reading Dune at a young age. I remember I tried reading Dune in college and didn’t make it all the way through. Luke truly was a smart kid.
I’ve mentioned before that we were just getting to know the family when tragedy struck. The sense of loss has been devastating, not a loss for what we had with them, but for what was just starting to take root. This blog has really helped me and my son, learning more about these wonderful people we were developing a connection with. In some strange way, getting to know them this way is helping me to grieve them as the good friends I felt in my heart they’d become. Thank you for the stories of Luke and Ryan. My son Shayne and Luke had so much in common, it was uncanny — especially their pride in being so smart! (BTW, thank you John, for sharing the fencing photo, what a treasure!!) I hadn’t yet had the chance to know Ryan, but from what I’m learning about him here, I can tell I would have adored him. I love the “good wishes” he wrote… sounds like he loved animals as I do. Everyday, the Houghton family reminds me to live life authentically and gratefully, to do my best to care for those around me, and to put as much “positivity” out in the world as possible!
I have to say, Ryan was really strong! He could wrestle my son Zack and hold his own very well. That’s when they really had fun, wrestling or batting each other with couch pillows in the fort they built until I would yell, “please don’t ruin the pillows!!”. Ryan could run so fast, too! On the last day we saw him, July 4th, he jumped through the air from the swing at the park near their house, and then raced to his house to get the little gift he had brought from Bonaire for Zack. I gave him a head start since I was driving from the park to their house, not running like he was, but he got to his house in a flash, far ahead of me in the car. Then he still had energy to race up those 15-20 stairs to the front door! I really couldn’t believe his speed. I loved Ryan’s cheerful, upbeat energy and we still miss him so much.
I remember when we were in Egypt about to go into the Egyptian Museum and Ryan was so sick that he threw up in line on the way in. He never indicated how sick he was, he just all of the sudden threw up. That didn’t stop him though and he never complained. We all went through the museum and enjoyed all the things there was to see…Ryan towards the end commented and said “now do you know any kid that could throw up in line and then spend the afternoon in a museum and still have a good time.” Of course we all laughed and agreed…we knew no other who could. Yes, Ryan was very strong and very good natured.
Missing them all….