Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you, two simple words but we write them with huge
sincerity and deep gratitude. Your outpouring of love and prayers following the
sudden death of our twenty-four-year old beloved grandson, Drew, has astounded
us. Such love! So many of you have literally ached with us as we grieved his
death. Those first days of shock were very tough.
We continue to be saddened by
our loss – if you knew Drew you can understand – he moved among people with
unique charisma and reverent respect for each individual. To be with him was to
become even more energized about life. He loved nature, delighted in even the
size of radishes and the perfection of a single flower and listened to Harvard
business school podcasts for fun because he loved ideas and learning.
It’s not a surprise that God would take Drew’s soul to be
with him. It’s probably a wonder that God allowed him to be among us as long as
he was. A disclaimer: All our grandchildren are extraordinary (as are yours if
you’re a parent or grandparent ) but even his cousins knew Drew radiated a special
kind of joy. I’m not implying he was perfect, he certainly wasn’t. He spent a
year and a half battling addictions and trying to make sense of a world that
wasn’t perfect and people who disappointed him and the beauty of it is DREW DID
figure it out! He got his life together, worked two jobs with a passion for
perfection and for serving others and was focused on sharing the spiritual
truths he’d learned. His primary truth: God is real, God can always be depended
upon (just like his Grandpa Wayne he often said) and heaven is a worthy goal for
each of us.
In the two months before Drew died he started writing an
inspirational blog that more than 2000 people have read. Even for one so young Drew
lived with an awareness of the importance of keeping an eye on the goal of
eternity with God. He shared this in his writings on Facebook and his blogs and
in his last conversation with his brother, going through the travail of medical
school studies: “Remember Jack, it’s all about Jesus.”
Drew's personal journal entries always ended with ACTS –adoration,
confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Tamara read from his journal at his
funeral: “Entry 1/9/2013 There is SO
much I want out of life and so much God wants out of me. I am so blessed to be called His son, to do His
will. He requires everything though, and
whatever I give Him always brings fruit.
Hold up. Everything I give to God
bears fruit in my life. What am I waiting
for! Today Lord I give You God my all in
mind, body and spirit. Search my heart, and use me as you will. I pray your power in my life be shown and
your will be done. You are real. You
love me. You want me to know you. Take control today. Lord, in spite of all my
sin and shortcomings, my heart is yours, AMEN!”
So dear friends, in answer to your question how are we
doing, we are good, truly, yet those tears still pop up unexpectedly. I hear Drew
speak phrases in my mind that stir sweet memories. But we’re all committed to moving
forward knowing someone special has lived among us. Our prayers for Drew’s
victory over drugs were realized. He died peacefully in his bed with no illegal
drugs in his body. Three weeks later we still don’t have a cause of death even
after autopsy and pathology reports, but we know he still lives on in
heaven because our grandson dedicated himself totally to Christ.
We mourn our loss with supreme peace that God’s will and
purpose have been completed for his life. Thank you for the comfort your love
and prayers gave us. May you be blessed and also know the incomparable riches
God has in store for all those who love Him.
***
If you didn’t know Drew well but would like to meet him, you can read his blogs at www.drewswan.com For those of you who couldn't attend any of his memorials you can watch the one put on by his amazing friends in Florida http://tinyurl.com/ckj4unj (set the viewing bar in 25 minutes to bypass intro music), or view one of the slide shows at www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SPfkqr1iXg or perhaps watch Drew sing one of the songs he wrote: You gotta have faith.www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvB4cr9hSoA
