Cody
I wish I knew your age, however with that being said, I am going to talk to you, Man To Man...
What you are feeling and experiencing right now is normal and called, being a caring and loving human being... The heartache, hurt, and sad and empty feelings will fade away with the passage of time... You must hold on to that belief... The qualities of Eric that you speak of, have already been instilled inside of you... That is the reason that Eric appeared into your life... You would never even be questioning these feelings that you are having without him making such an impression on you... The Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, the caring about your fellow man... These are all things that we learn from others, whether they are our parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, strangers, or our heros... Eric is the roll model for everything that is good in this world... You keep your collection of pictures to remind you of the man that you aspire to be... These little reminders if used correctly, will ensure that the human race, remain just that... HUMANE!!
I have my pictures to remind me of this every day... I do not need them everyday... however they are there... Unfortunatly I will have to add another of my fallen brothers to my wall... However, just TRY to imagine if Eric had not come into your life and left a piece of him with you inside of your heart and mind... Time will tic slowly for a while... Have patience, and the events of all of this past week will fade and your heart will slowly heal... Eric was but just ONE man, made of a million pieces... Be grateful that you got one of those pieces to hang on to and cherish... Use it in your life every single day... Eric is only as far away as you let him be... Keep him close to you in your mind, and you will be just fine... Never forget, but never stop living... One day at a time Brother... Now smile that Eric smile to everyone that you meet... And don't forget the thumbs up!!
Peace and Love
Ray-