Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Mrs. McBride showed kindness to my family as we just moved into Westmont. My parents were refugees and my mom barely spoke English, but it didn't matter to Mrs. McBride. She welcomed my family with open arms. It was when I met Scott who became my first friend as 5 year olds. She made sure that we both became friends despite how painfully shy I was. I remembered one day when she was upset my brother Andy didn't have a bike. I was about 10 years old , and Andy was 7. She asked, "why doesn't he have a bike?" She showed more concerned and said, "He needs to have a bike." She took one of Scott's old bike and went over to my parents and gave Andy his first bike. This was a memory that never left me about her....still to this day.
Several years after the McBrides moved out of Westmont, I unexpectedly ran into her at a McDonalds in our hometown. She yelled my name, much to my surprise,and we hugged. I remembered her being so excited to see me, and I was asking how Scott and the family was doing. It was a beautiful moment because I had missed Scott so much after they moved out and lost contact with the family. More importantly, running into Mrs. McBride would soon lead me to reunite with Scott again, and start the 2nd version of our friendship as adults.
I sincerely wished that I had a deeper, closer relationship with the McBrides as they have left a big impact on my life, and I could not imagine what my life would be like without Scott's influence, or what his mom did for my family. I have so much sadness for these losses, and I wish the McBrides and the community nothing but the loving support they deserve through this difficult time. We have all been so incredibly fortunate to have them in our lives.
