A Tribute To Mackenzie Reed Belson (2002-2006)
Mackenzie Reed Belson was born April 26th, 2002. Mack signaled his impending arrival by having my water break at exactly 12:01 am on his due date. After a relatively easy birth and much to the delight of his family, Mack arrived into this world smiling and subsequently, he never stopped smiling.
Mack was a wonderful baby who gave us a so little trouble. I started taking him out at 9 days old and he came with me everywhere. This wonderful baby grew into a sweet, loving and affectionate child who was the image of his father. David was the only one who regularly called Mack by his full name of Mackenzie. Mack was adored by his older sister Ruby and he in turn adored her. He was treasured by his grandparents and uncles. For me, this precious child was a love of my life. Simply put, he was our boy.
Although Mack was speech delayed, his vocabulary was growing every day and he was speaking more and more. He was extremely intelligent and very visual. He loved his DVD's, books, videos, music and his musical instruments and used them as learning tools. He loved Baby & Little Einstein, Blues Clues, Dora & Diego, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear and so many others. Among many other things, he loved to carry his spiral notepads, wear sunglasses, baseball hats, bicycle helmets and his father's and sister's shoes around the house. Parks were another favourite, especially slides and the bigger, the better. Cameras, phones, playing with his leapster, Mack loved them all.
Most of all, Mack loved to laugh and have a good time. No matter what we did, Mack was always able to have fun and smile. He was our goofball, always doing crazy things that gave us such a kick. Many of our pictures of Mack show him without a shirt because he never wore one when he was home. The second he came into the house, he took off his shirt and stayed that way until we left the next day, 365 days a year. Every morning Mack would snuggle with his father and he was always there to greet David when he came home from work in the evening. Mack was such an affectionate and loving child who would always give kisses and a hugs, he never refused us.
By age four, he was a whiz on the computer just like his sister Ruby and he loved to play games on various sites. Ruby was so patient and gentle with Mack and she was so happy that he had reached an age where they could play together in so many ways. He loved going to school and to camp and always had such a big smile for me when I came to pick him up. I never had to ask him to hold my hand, he simply extended his hand to me without fail. Mack affected everyone who met him. He had an extraordinary sweetness to him that was impossible to miss, it was infectious. His 1000 watt smile, like a beacon, lit up any room he was in.
Mack was an extremely picky eater. He only ate about 10-15 things but he did not eat junk food. Maybe chips once in a while but that was it. Of all Mack's favourite foods, including pizza, peanut butter, blueberries, cheese sticks, chicken nuggets, wheat thins and goldfish crackers, apple sauce and even Milupa baby cereal which he ate as a snack every day, his most favourite, bar none, was apples. He ate 5-8 apples a day, every day. This is why an apple is the logo of this foundation and why our sponsership levels are apple themed. If you knew Mack, you knew that he loved those apples. When I took Mack to birthday parties, I had to bring apples and blueberries because he would not touch cake, no interest what so ever. I always had apples in my purse as a back up.
Mack's life ended suddenly and tragically on July 16th, 2006, at the tender age of four.
David and I always appreciated what we had, a loving marriage and our two beautiful and healthy children, Ruby and Mack. The stress of everyday life sometimes caught up with us and at times we took life for granted. We no longer do this. We have painfully been taught that life is a precious gift and at the end of the day, it is family that matters most. You must do what you can while you can because life can be so unpredictable. The loss of our beautiful and joyful Mackenzie Reed has forever shattered our hearts and we are slowly trying to glue the pieces together but like a jigsaw puzzle missing a piece, we will never be complete.
To our sweet and darling boy, the void your absence has left in our lives is enormous and indescribeable. The world is a darker place without the bright light of your smile but we will continue on with your memory etched on our hearts. Mackie, we are so grateful for each and every day that you graced our lives and we are forever changed as a result. You will always be the apple of our hearts. This foundation was created in your honour and it will be your legacy. We promise that you will never be forgotten, never!
You are forever loved and forever missed.
"A smile happens in a flash but it's memory can last a lifetime"
