It was a pleasure to see so many familiar faces last weekend. It was also great to share so many hugs and conversations with people I had never met before. Thank you to Ryan’s family for being so welcoming. You all have a beautiful family. Being around so many people Ryan loved made it feel like he was right there with us.
It was especially meaningful to speak with so many of his cousins. Apparently, a lot of you had heard about me beforehand! Thank you guys for reminding me of another memory of Ryan:
Ryan and I both experienced our parents’ divorces when we were younger. Because of that, there were certain conversations we could have with each other that I could not really have with anyone else. Not because other people did not care, but because Ryan had a deep desire to relate to people genuinely.
When I was 15 or 16, my mom was close to moving my sisters and me away to live with a new partner. That would have meant changing schools, making new friends, and leaving behind the community I had grown up in since pre-K. I felt like I was about to lose everything, and I desperately wanted to stay in Lutz.
Ryan, above anyone else, advocated for me. I remember Ms. Pam seriously considering letting me use their address so I could remain zoned for Steinbrenner, and even stay at their house for a while. Their home in Heritage Harbor had a nice guest room, after all. I still cannot believe that was a real conversation, and that so many of you had heard about it.
I never asked Ryan to do any of that. He just saw what I was going through and treated me like family. Like always, he went above and beyond for someone he cared about. So when people thanked me last weekend for writing or speaking about him, all I could think was that it was the least I could do for someone who was willing to go that far for me.
Looking around last weekend, I realized Ryan’s family and mine were pretty similar. Both Colombian, both with mostly girl cousins around our age, and both the kind of family that makes you feel welcomed even if they just met you. As someone who also grew up in a family surrounded by women, Ryan was a brother to me.
That is a brotherhood nobody will ever take away from us. I will try to carry that forward for my friends, because I know Ryan would have done the same for me.
Here are a few photos of the boys together last weekend. Seeing everyone in one place reminded me how many people loved Ryan, and that none of us are dealing with the grief alone.
Ozzy
