After three weeks of travel I am finally back in Roanoke and trying to catch up. Which means I’m in the office today when most of my co-workers are enjoying a company holiday.

I was feeling a bit sorry for myself thinking about all the work I have on my plate, including a lot of catching up on posts that need to get up on The Wild Life.

Then I opened my email and found a note from Norma Myers.

She’s the mother of Aaron Myers, a Wild Life regular who was killed in a car accident this past August. His brother, Steven, was critically injured.

Norma’s note puts things in perspective. Here it is:

“Dear Mark,

Our son Aaron Myers was a regular “submitter” to your Blog.  As you remember  Aaron was tragically killed in a car accident on August 13, 2012.  His brother Steven continues to recover from a traumatic brain injury  (caringbridge.org   stevenmyers1).

I know Aaron would have wanted me to share his last trophy with you so that you in turn can share with all of his fellow hunters.

Aaron had yearly traditions of hunting and fishing with his Grandpa Gazvoda in Indiana.  In the fall of 2011 Aaron & Grandpa Al went hunting together as they have many years before and planned on many years together in the future.  Of course none of us knew that on this particular special trip Aaron would take his last “earthly” trophy.

Aaron left his trophy with a taxidermist in Indiana with plans to pick it up when he returned to Indiana during their next hunting adventure.  On the day that we lost Aaron the taxidermist called Grandpa Al to let him know the deer was ready.

Grandpa Al has Aaron’s trophy proudly displayed above his recliner with a plaque in honor of Aaron.  At the request of Steven we spent Christmas in Indiana.  Aaron sent deer daily as a reminder that he was with us!  Grandpa Al let us know that he will keep Aaron’s trophy for a while and then he will hand it down to Steven.

We are more thankful than ever for Aaron’s love and appreciation for the great outdoors.  He was a unique and gifted outdoorsman.  He embraced each trophy as if it were the first one he every came home with and the stories grew with each trophy.

As a mom I had mixed emotions about Aaron being in the woods with Bambi, but I admired and respected his rare gift of hunter man/fisherman so much that I could do nothing but support him throughout each of his many, many amazing forever remembered adventures.

Thank you for being a part of sharing Aaron’s love for the outdoors with others!”

And thank you, Norma, for sharing this with us.