Green

On Friday night, the night before Matthew passed, our stake president, his wife, and two general authorities came to see us in the hospital. We spoke about Matthew's life and his character, and then Elder Haleck offered a prayer. It was a really powerful prayer. He said a lot of comforting things, but one this that really stood out to me was he blessed Matthew that someone he knows and loves would come down to receive him when it is his time to go home. That comforted me a lot because I knew he would never be alone, and the transition would be easy. I like to think that he had a handful of angels waiting with us in his room on Saturday morning. All of our grandparents were probably there.

Elder Jones, Elder Haleck, President and Joanna Layton:

Friday was also a special day for me because that is when I spent a lot of time talking to Matthew alone. I got to tell him a lot of very personal things, and I told him how The Office ended. I know it's stupid, but I couldn't let him leave this earth without knowing how it ended. He only missed the last three or so episodes. Being able to have that time with him and tell him how the show he's been obsessed with for the past nine years ends gave me a lot of closure. I'm at peace knowing that I was able to do that for him. It was the hardest thing I've done, and I cried through the whole thing, but I got to do that for him.

Today at Gilbert High there was a prayer said for Matthew. All of the students gathered in Tiger Hall to listen. My mom went and sister, and she said that she couldn't hear what was said, but she was deeply touched because of how many kids were there. It's special that they did that for Matthew. I bet he was there listening too. Gilbert High, Greenfield Junior High, and Finley Farms Elementary also encouraged their students to wear green in honor of Matthew. That has been his favorite color since he knew colors.