I'd only met Cody in real life 4 or 5 times. I would still consider he & I to be close though. We would talk very often on facebook or through texts. Even after he left for Afghanistan he would still think of me occasionally and ask me how I was doing. See that's the thing about Cody, he was ALWAYS thinking of other people. Cody taught me a lot of things about life:
1. how to longboard.... SAFELY, with a helmet. haha
2. how to treat a woman. Guys, I hope you took notes when Cody was around, because he treated every single girl with the most respect. He was a gentleman in the highest form.
3. he taught me how to be hilariously sarcastic & how to tell an inappropriate joke without worrying about what others think. He was one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life.
4. he taught me how to make a sandwich the right way. haha if there isn't mustard on it, he isn't eating it. the bread was a little dry too.
5. he taught me to always look for the good & positive in everything. The "silver lining" of the rain cloud. I don't recall him ever having a bad attitude.
6. he taught me to use urbandictionary as a resource when I couldn't figure out his ridiculous words or phrases
I remember him telling me once about the time an arm got stuck in the folding chair machine at partyland..... hahaha or the multiple times crashing on his longboard. I lived right next door to the Genola fire station so I would see him sometimes doing drills & hosing down burning cars for training. He would tell me about his dad a lot. According to Cody their relationship was solid. He loved his dad so much. They did so much together. He took me on a date once after a basketball game. The entire time we were in the car he was belting Moulin Rouge at the top of his lungs. He didn't care what I thought, and because of his carelessness to what others think about him, I learned that concept also. I learned that no matter what, people will think things about you or say rude things that aren't true, but as long as you know who you are and you know that you are a great person then who cares? Cody is a great person. He touched so many lives that he probably doesn't even realize. His affect on my family was huge & they barely knew him. My sister probably talked to him more than I did these past months. He would always joke that he & I would get married one day. That we would write each other while he was away haha and then he would return and we would have a big family. hahaha I'm sure he told all of the girls that, but he knew how to make me feel special and loved.
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| a little something something that cody made for me hahahahaha |
I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out when I read the news article. I thought it couldn't be true. In fact many of my friends messaged me and asked me if it was a sick joke. When my old best friend Chloe called me on the phone to ask what happened we both broke down in sobbing tears. How could someone so great and loving be taken away so quickly and harshly? He was trying to save another life while he lost his own. That's honor. That's heart. That's dedication to protecting this country and fulfilling his duties. I can't help but think that Cody is in Heaven right now worrying about all of us down here on earth. He was so completely selfless. He's a hero in every sense of the meaning of the word. I will miss him very much and I will always think of him when I see a bottle of mustard, a partyland, a longboard, or anything army related. He will be in our hearts forever.
Don't take life for granted. Cherish it every single day. Live with a positive attitude. Love one another.
