Nate Wilson- Memoir

I was the fifth child born into our family. When I was born, Nate was 12, Jon nine, Christopher would have been six (he had passed away before I was born due to phenomena), and Justin was three. The older I grew, the more I enjoyed getting to play games with them, and try to join in their football games, which for me was monkey in the middle. I wanted to do the same things they did, have the same friends, and grow up to be like them. Nate and Jon always seemed to be best friends, while Justin and I always seemed to be fighting over small little mishaps. He would see me playing with his “G.I. Joe” and would get very upset; all I wanted was for Barbie to marry someone other than my teddy bear. Jon and I got along fine growing up. He is more reserved and didn’t like to be bothered. Lucky for Jon, Justin was whom I would always go to, asking annoying questions and bothering him with wanting to play all the time.


Nate and I however were inseparable. Nate was the joking older brother who always knew how to lighten a mood. Whenever he would walk in the room you couldn’t help but smile or laugh. There would be nights that I would wake up with growing pains, and he insisted that eating ice cream would make them go away, which they did! The older we both got, the closer we grew. One time he took me to the doctor, and on our way back we stopped at the gas station. Nate gave me money to get a candy bar, and the man working commented on how nice “my father” was to let me get candy. We found this to be very funny, considering I was only 8 and he was 20 . That same trip he was singing Shania Twain at the top of his lungs just to get me to smile, and even let me shift the gear to his truck. I thought that meant he taught me how to drive, so I made sure to tell all my friends.


Our family was pretty close, we seemed to have everything put together, and working in our favor. Both parents had a job; we were going to church, and had everything we needed. While I was in the fourth grade, several changes had happened. Nate was working at Findlay High School as a Construction teacher, Jon was moving to Chicago for college, while Justin and I were still at home. However, those changes were the least of our concerns. Our grandma had passed away that winter, as well as our father losing his job, and our parents becoming separated. These all happened very suddenly, and were also completely unexpected. I didn’t think much about the divorce since it seemed many people were getting divorced in society; however Nate and Jon took the news hard. They didn’t want this divorce to separate the brothers and I from being friends, or together. They both promised each other not to leave us, that one would be living with us until we were on our way off to college.


After several months, our family had seemingly adjusted well to these new changes. April 27th was a Friday night that my mother, Justin and I used to stay at home and watch TV together. We were watching N.C.I.S., and I remember during a specific scene they showed, I had this weird sensation inside of me that something bad had happened. I would always get scared while watching that show, so I assumed that feeling was just about the show. About 30 minutes later we have a knock on our door; it was late so we were curious to know who it might be. My mom answered the door, and not too long after, a police officer, our neighbor, and mother walk into the kitchen. None of them make eye contact with us, but I could tell by their body language something wasn’t right, so I walked up to them. When I approached, I softly said, “did someone die?” and before they answered, I knew it was Nate.


At that moment, time seemed to have just stopped. It didn’t seem as though it really happened. Within an hour we had at least 20 people over to our house, neighbors, family, except two people, my father and Jon. I’m not sure how my dad found out, but I do know, that very evening he and our neighbor drove to Chicago to tell Jon the news, and bring him home. It wasn’t until later in the evening someone told me Nate died in a car accident.


That night was filled with much uncertainty, hopelessness, and confusion. Nate was my best friend, and trying to comprehend not seeing someone who had always been a part of my life was unfathomable. Four years later I found out more information about his accident. It was hurtful that I didn’t know the true reason Nate had died, regardless of it if was to protect me. A neighbor of ours, who was 17, was the one that accidentally mentioned something. She was telling me a conversation she had with my mom about M.A.D.D. Right then, I knew that I hadn’t been told the truth. I still, till this day, do not know the full story, but I do know Nate had been drinking beforehand at a bar with some colleagues from work. There might have been a verbal fight about something at the bar, which caused Nate to drive off, while he was intoxicated. His car did go off the road, collided with a tree, causing his car to flip over.


Although losing someone you love is something no one wants to endure, it is a part of life. Dealing with it at a younger age and a more personal level may have been a little hard at first, but it has taught me some lessons people will live a lifetime trying to learn. My mom was protecting me from knowing the reason Nate died because she didn’t want me remembering him for how he died, but for how he lived his life. He did make a mistake that night, but he lived a very fulfilling life and is still affecting lives today. Nate had a relationship with God that I didn’t really understand. He always had this passion that was driving him in everything he did. I was determined to know what that passion was, so I began going to the church he used to go to, and got very involved. When people hear more about my life they usually question how I can stand God after the things I have been through. The verse 1 Corinthians 1:3-5 talks about how even though I might be going through a rough time, I will be able to comfort others when they are dealing with similar situations, which I in return found comforting.


One of the main lessons Nate taught me was from the last time I saw him. We were arguing about something very petty and I, being a very stubborn child, and wanted to be right. As he was walking out the door he was waiting for a hug from me and said, “You should give me a hug because you never know if or when the next time you’re going to see me will be.” Did I go and hug him? No. I was too stubborn. Because of him saying that, it reminds me to not fight with people over the little things. We do not have much time in this life and why should we waste this treasured time being angry with others. No one knows when their time is going to cease, which makes me realize, I wouldn’t want to die and the last memory someone has with me being arguing about spilt milk. All the cliché quotes about “living life to the fullest”, are true! They are easy to say, however to make that your mentality of what you revolve your days around takes a little more effort. Live each day to its full potential.