We miss our old house.
Actually, it’s really the cul-de-sac that we tend to get nostalgic about.
Sometimes, after school, we will take a ride and do a little circle; pointing out all the things we used to do.
It’s where Margot learned to ride her bike. It’s where Livi would skin her knee; always the SAME knee. We would watch the Collins boys’ fire off their 4th of July fireworks, check out Milt shooting hoops with the kids and say hi to Judy before she would walk Abbey and tell us stories about when she was just a young girl.
It was family.
We left that precious cul-de-sac a year and a half ago after ten years of the good stuff.
I used to be able to tell what time it was- in the old house.
I knew it was time to get up when I heard Woody’s truck fire up the morning. I knew it was time to take a break and visit for a while when Judy would drop by for a chat with the girls and an invitation to swim. It was comforting to see a whole lot of hustle and bustle going on in that circle; pick-up games, car washes, golf cart rides, skateboards, deflated basketballs, bikes, animals and lively conversations with neighbors.
I also knew everything was safe and sound in the world when I would hear Woody and Donna’s sweet smiling son, Dalton’s corvette come easing into the garage after a day of school, soccer and fun with his family and friends. And still walk the dog.
Today would have been Dalton’s 19th birthday.
It still is. Always will be.
And this is his story:
William Dalton Collins arrives into this world March 19th, 1995 at 6:06 AM. He is already over 9 lbs and as his mother, Donna, tells us, “ready for a bacon cheeseburger and a Dairy Queen Blizzard.”
Dad Woody can’t help but smile as he calls everyone- their parents, Donna’s sister- and then bends down beaning with an unlit, ceremonial cigar in his mouth telling Dalton of his big brother Cody and their dog Jake who are all at home. They can’t wait to meet him.
Dalton loved life from the start. He also loved SpongeBob, who could question that….they both had that same wonderfully happy, optimistic view on life and all of its possibilities.
Donna says when she looks back on all of those early years, she sees such JOY in Dalton’s eyes and in his smile. It was infectious.
Even at an early age he was the peacemaker; the first one to give up window seat in the car so no one fought; he was wise beyond his years; a kid who knew how to make everyone feel better.
It mattered to him.
Dalton was also kind. He loved animals. He would even leave little, sweet notes around the house in his neat handwriting.
Dear Mom,
Thank you for always driving me around and taking me places.
Love,
Dalton Collins
Dalton was also a seasoned traveler from a very early age. In an essay he wrote for in the 5th grade at OPES and read at the Veteran’s Day assembly he explains, “What America means to me can’t be said in words, but by the beat of my heart.” To say he didn’t love a good road trip or the adventure of an airplane ride would be an understatement. He saw more of America in his short 18 years than most us will in a lifetime.
Dalton surfed in Hawaii, snowboarded on Mount Hood in Oregon and tasted his first caramel apple at the Fish Market in Seattle before visiting the Space Needle.
He road tripped through Las Vegas, San Diego, San Antonio, Gettysburg and Maine.
He visited the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, fished the oceans of the Atlantic, scuba dived in the waters of Florida and flew all by himself at the young age of 12 to Houston to visit his best friend Keith.
When Dalton was 11, he received his black belt in Karate. The four and a half years of dedication this took sums up a lot about Dalton. So do the words his mother wrote in his scrapbook next to a picture of him smiling wide in his new belt: knowledge, leadership, self-discipline, perseverance, team work.
Those words he lived he also applied to the two loves of his life; family and, of course, soccer.
Dalton was a star soccer player loved by his team and his coaches. His love for the game even guided him into becoming a role model for younger boys when he started working for the Golden Isles Soccer Association at 12 years of age. Ten dollars a game to referee. And he took his job very seriously. Wise beyond his years, Dalton even knew how to calm an upset soccer parent who would question his call without incident.
He bought his first car at 16 all by himself, his beloved Corvette, and named her Sheila. Dalton would spend any free time taking care of her and if you ever needed a ride, all you’d have to do was ask.
I was lucky to know him.
His mother wrote a letter to her son when he was 9 years old. She wrote one for all three of their sons to celebrate every year she had with them. I want to share a part of this one from 2004 with you now:
Dalton,
You are such a gift from God to us. I have always joked that it will be a sad day in my life when your real family comes to claim you. We are truly in awe of you. You don’t have a mean bone in your body. What I admire most about you is you always have a smile on your face. You can only see the good and the bad just seems to melt away. You have a calming effect on those around you.
I worry least about you because you seem content at whatever you are doing. You have a lot of confidence, you know the value of $$$ and you don’t seem to mind working hard. You have a great work ethic and with your positive attitude and your willing smile, you will go a long way in life. Not once have you complained about homework, karate or soccer, or doing chores around the house. Your only motive is pleasing your family.
Your real family must miss you terribly.
My wish for you is to continue to be the person you are today. You really have wonderful qualities for such a young man. You stand confident and walk proud and never give up. I’m very proud of you.
When Dalton was a freshman, he wrote a short essay on quality of life. One sentence stands out to me now:
A good quality of life means that you like the way you have lived.
There is no doubt that Dalton had a great quality of life. He made it that way. And he loved it.
This world will never be the same without Dalton in it. But I know without a shadow of a doubt he is still here in spirit- I feel it- and lucky for all of us, his character-his beautiful light-still shines brightly through in all of those who had the privilege to know him.
So, today on his birthday, let us celebrate the life of an amazing boy who lived an amazing life. As Woody wrote to his friends, “Do not be afraid to speak Dalton’s name to Donna and me. It is music to our ears and keeps the memories of the white boy with the dread locks in a black corvette alive forever. I am proud to call Dalton my son.”
So Happy Birthday, sweet Dalton. I will always think of you as that long-legged, gangly kid with the awesome smile and the wild hair walking his dog around the cul-de-sac on a skateboard in flannel PJ bottoms and a t-shirt, waving hello. Until we all meet up again on God’s journey home..….
But in the meantime, thank you.
Thank you for showing me what a life looks like well lived.
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