35 years ago

Hard to believe, still hard to take some days

Today is Feb 9, 2026. Today we should be celebrating my Big Guy’s 35th birthday. Instead, I’m posting this to memorialize him again, so everyone gets to know him and his name is not forgotten.

My favorite pic of him, he got to meet Aladdin in real life. It was pure joy.

Feb 9, 1991, was one of the happiest days in my life. My Big Guy, Aaron Jacob Sava came into the world. Little did we know we would only get him for 3 years before he was gone from our day to day lives. No new pictures, no new memories. I didn’t get to see him grow up, graduate HS, get a girlfriend, get married. I didn’t get to teach him the things a dad gets to teach a son, like fish or drive a car or play basketball. Three short years.

Rock Star Aaron with mom.

He went into the hospital about a week before he died with complications from the chicken pox (before any of you scream at me about getting my son vaccinated, this was pre cp vaccine, and before any of you scream at me about how bad vaccines are - yes, chicken pox is not usually deadly, unless it is your child, then it is everything). I got chicken pox from him; I had never had it as a child. I was stuck at home; I could not even go see him.

When my wife called me on that night that is etched in my mind forever, I remember saying “But I can’t come down, they won’t let me in.” She told me they said I needed to get there immediately. I never saw him alive again. We watched as they wheeled him into surgery with a grown man straddling his little body pumping his chest to keep blood going to his brain.

Beach day, he loved the beach, digging in the sand, making “huge castles”, splashing in the waves.

I was angry, I was mad. Not at the doctors, not at the nurses, not at anyone in particular.

I was mad at God. How could He take my Big Guy? I swore at Him. I shook my fist. I turned my back. I left.

But now I realize that He never left me. In fact, He was right there, the whole time, having left the 99 in safety to come after me, the one. (Luke 15:4)

Yes, I was mad, but God understood. After all, He had sent His Son to die for humanity, so He understood the grief of watching a son die. He followed after me, waiting for me to return. And when that day came, as the shepherd in Luke did with the found sheep, “… when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.” (Luke 15:5)

We tried to go watch a shuttle launch, but it got scrubbed. He was disappointed but had fun at a Denny’s in Titusville afterwards.

It took me while to understand that the things we have in life are not truly ours, it all belongs to the Creator of all, and everything is used for His Glory. Even the brief three years we had with our Aaron.

You may be angry at God for whatever reason, but that does not mean He does not still love you. He is waiting, He is looking for you, He is wanting to lift you on His shoulders and carry you back to the rest of the flock. Even if you have never truly believed in the saving grace of Jesus, God is waiting.

All it takes is for you to reach out and ask. Turn away from your old life without God, towards the Light of the World. Ask for Jesus to come back into your heart and your life, make Him your Lord and Savior.

He is waiting and He is patient. I am proof that He will not turn His back on you, even if you have turned your back on Him.

Aaron, I miss you dearly Big Guy. We long for the day when we can see you run and play again. Until then, we will keep your memory alive as much as we can.

Read the Bible, preach the Gospel, everything else is chaff.