One of my reasons

May 10, 2018

From Carter's mom:

If anyone has ever met my son, Carter, they will immediately realize that he's not your typical 8th grader. First of all, he can talk to ANYONE. From toddlers to adults, people of any social or economic status-he has NO fear of people. This is a great gift, as I even have a hard time doing this as an adult. He can immediately put anyone at ease, calm them down, and make them feel special. He looks them in the eye and says what he needs to say. Even with his occasional stutter (which he can be self-conscious about, but it's not as a big of a deal as he thinks it is), he doesn't let that stop him.

Secondly (and I've always said this even since he was little), Carter has a servant's heart. He will help anyone with anything if he can. He will put away the groceries for me without me having to ask, walk a friend home from school, pay to feed his friends when they don't have money with them (he used to share his book fair money with other kids if they forgot it for school), let anyone borrow anything, and basically jump in to help whenever he can.

Thirdly, he has been able to successfully handle some very tough situations. When he was in fourth grade, he surprised us all by coming down with (if that's what you call it) appendicitis. The doctors weren't even totally sure he had it at the time because he was able to walk, eat, etc. They did an ultrasound and an MRI to make sure because he wasn't showing the severe symptoms that are expected with this condition. Sure enough, he had it and had to have his appendix removed the next day. He took it in stride and barely complained, even though I'm sure it was painful and uncomfortable.

Undoubtedly, the most difficult situation he has had to deal with was the loss of his older brother, Hayden, who was killed in a car accident two and a half years ago. This was right before Carter started sixth grade. This was our family's first experience with a sudden death other than some of his great-grandparents. Even that first day at the hospital, Carter was the one comforting others. He met friends and family in the waiting room and brought them down the long corridor to see his brother in the ICU.  He even told me that he would be my Hayden now, but I told him that I needed him to still be my Carter. He helped me and a lot of other people get through that horrible time with his level-headedness and caring heart.

I'm sure as he gets older, he will have to deal with this tremendous loss in his own way. At the time, at the tender age of 12, I remember him telling a social worker at a group we met with called Ele's Place, that it seemed to him that maybe Hayden hadn't even been real at all. The social worker explained that this is typical for kids to not be able to understand how one person can be here one day and gone the next, like it is for most adults, but it's so different for children. I pray that we can all be there for him when he needs us as he has been there for us.

I am so thankful for this boy. He is one of my reasons.