rachel’s blog

Seven of my Facebook friends are named Matt. Sadly, one of those Matts will never again log in to his account… and will never read the messages his friends posted on his Facebook wall today. It’s still hard to believe, but Matt Garber drowned yesterday in Costa Rica. I’m told that the area he was swimming in wasn’t known to be dangerous, but he and several others got caught in a riptide. The others made it safely back to shore, but Matt’s body has not yet been recovered.

The body. How quickly his life became past tense! One moment he was a vibrant 22-year-old, and the next moment he was a body. But Matt wasn’t just anybody. He had graduated with honors in April (one of ten students to receive the “Cords of Distinction”) and was spending the summer with a missionary biologist in Costa Rica before beginning work as an ER nurse.

Matt was one of my Community Advisors (what most colleges call RAs) several years ago while I was a Residence Director, and I don’t hesitate to say that he remained one of my favorite students. He was friendly, intelligent, energetic, dedicated, passionate about his Christian faith, and fun. That laugh! And that huge smile… Matt was a talented musician, so I was honored to play piano for the impromptu service held on campus this morning. Matt’s style of leading hymns was distinct, and I like to imagine that he’s now directing a choir of angels.

I wish now that I would have taken a picture of the banana he gave me once. Actually he gave it to both Katie AND me. One day when I returned to work after lunch, there was a yellow banana sitting on the counter where we conduct business with students. At one end of the banana he had written with a black pen:

To: Katie
From: Matt G.

Around the center of the banana, he had drawn a dotted line. At the opposite end of the banana, he had written:

To: Rachel
From: Matt G.

Matt was fantastic, and his life here on earth is truly worth celebrating. I’m really going to miss the giver of that clever banana.