Thank you for telling Shane’s story (A Life Lived Full Throttle and Full Hearted). You did an amazing job! As his parents, it still brings us to tears when we read it. You have a gift, my friend.
October 11, 2026, will be twenty years since our son, Shane, left this earth and went to heaven. While Shane was fighting overseas, we prayed for him to be safe and to come home. God answered those prayers, just not the way we imagined. Shane had completed his mission on this earth. He had touched the lives of the people God wanted him to touch. We have thought about the “what ifs” and they become rabbit holes that go nowhere. We’ve had twenty years to process grief, loss and life. Some days are still challenging. Tears still fall, but life continues. Faith helps keep us grounded with the knowledge that we will see Shane again one day. We love our family and our time together even more than we thought possible. It is hard to believe it has been twenty years!
A child is one of the greatest gifts that we are given. A true treasure from heaven. To be Shane’s parents and watch him grow from a “how and why” little boy into the young, Renaissance man he became was truly special. He was the kind of young man who made everyone around him feel special and important. Everyone wanted to be around him, both guys and girls. He was good-looking, athletic, smart, funny, kind, compassionate and never met a stranger. To him, “a stranger was just a friend you hadn’t met”. We should all want to be more like Shane in the ways we treat others.
What has happened over the past twenty years? Shane’s twin nephews are now young men studying at Liberty University, and he has a niece, Gabriella Shane, that shares his name. Jen has remarried and has three children. We have retired and are traveling. Chris is now a major in the Air Force, and Shane was honored at his promotion ceremony. Many who knew Shane still remember him fondly, while others have come to know him through us sharing our experience and faith.
As long as we speak his name and share his stories, his memory lives on. Shane, you continue to touch lives and make new friends.
Life is short and fragile. Live it with no regrets!