Final Wishes

In December of 2014 Matt and I went to McCall, Idaho to partake in our annual snowboarding trip with Matt’s family.  We were flying high that year with excitement!  It was a big year for the Moores! Matt and I got married in March and Matt’s sister, Kelsey, also married her college sweetheart, Patrick, in August.  We couldn’t wait to all be together again and relive all the celebration we shared earlier in the year.       

The snowboarding/skiing (to be fair half of our group skis) trip usually consists of Matt’s sister, brother-in-law, parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, and us all squeezing into a rustic two-bedroom cabin for a long weekend.  We typically wake up way too early to make sure we are at the mountain to make the first chair lift of the day (which may or may not happened but we try!), eat far too many left over Christmas cookies (Matt’s mom is a baking phenomenon), and play games late into the evening per Matt’s request (the guy LOVES game night).  To say it was exhausting fun would be an under statement but we all looked forward to it every year!     

During one of many runs we found ourselves gathered on top of the mountain.  It overlooked the lodge, cascaded past the valley of pine trees, and soared to the place where the world could go on forever as the sky kissed the glistening white mountain tops. We stopped and took in the beauty of this moment.  I carved into the mountain to get a closer look.  Matt called in the distance for me to turn around.  There he took a picture of me- “on top of the world” we later named it.  

We could have never guessed that 2014 would be the last year we would all be together on that snowy nostalgic mountain.  December 8, 2015 would cancel all plans to a snow covered playground as the discovery of stage iv colon cancer would be made and would catapult us into a white coat doctor world.  December, 2016 would call for warmer weather as neuropathy and painful soars took over Matt’s feet (side effects from the chemo therapy treatment) and seemed to be exacerbated in the cold.   

However, Matt would never forget those years he spent in McCall with his family during winter break.  Days before he passed away he requested his ashes be spread in places that made him feel alive and his time on Earth joyful.  “McCall with my family”- was at the top of his list.  

Together; Matt’s sister, brother-in-law, aunt, uncle, cousin, and I found ourselves in that very spot we once innocently stopped to rest at.   This time we spread Matt’s ashes and took in the beautiful landscape as Matt soared at “the top of the world”. 

We sat quietly in silence and stillness. Suddenly, the wind began to blow and a snowboarder came flying out of the trees and sprayed us with snow as he zoomed by!  We all fell over laughing.  Matt!!!!

Later that afternoon (after nap time) Matt’s parents and our son joined us.  We gathered together again to spread Matt’s ashes in the banks of the snow.  There we marked a place that will forever remind us of Matt Moore living life to the fullest!