Degree in Memoriam

Connor was a sophomore and entrepreneurial business major at the University of South Florida.  He would often come to my house to work on projects, papers or spitball ideas.  He knew how important it was to get his degree and was looking forward to taking some of the upper classes so he could dive in deeper into the courses he was most interested in. 

Well….here we are.  Instead of an actual graduation where he’s alive and well and gets to walk across a stage, I got to stand up and accept an honorary degree in memoriam.  Gut punch!  This was not in the plan!

I am very grateful to USF for hosting the student memorial.   They honored twelve students who lost their lives in 2024. TWELVE!!  That’s eleven other families who felt the same pain we did.  Eleven other families who forever have an empty seat at their dinner table, will not see their child get married or have children and who will forever walk this grief path of pain.  Ugh. 

The ceremony was nice with lovely comments from the President, Dean and Student Government President.  There was a memorial wall where the students’ names were engraved and where we placed white carnations (and balled our eyes out).  It’s a beautiful wall where they will continue to live on forever at the university.  

My heart hurt for the other families and for mine, but – if I’m being honest - I did find some degree of comfort knowing that I wasn’t alone.  This journey can often be lonely and while you don’t ever want anyone else to experience this pain, it was somewhat of a relief to know there were others who understood the anguish. I feel awful for saying that, but if this blog is going to be a true reflection of my journey, you have to know how I really feel. ∞

What have others done to honor your child?