Our Beautiful Son
/When our son Gordon James Corsetti passed on December 2, 2022 it was unimaginable and much of the week preparing for his memorial service was a blur trying to hold it together was quite a monumental task. Over the years I have spoken at many players’ services, and I’ve attended many more. I always wondered, quietly, respectfully, how parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends ever found the strength to stand, to speak, to breathe through a moment like that. I could never understand it. Not truly.
And then it was our turn.
Death is part of Life, I know that. I’ve said it, I’ve believed it, I’ve counseled others with those words. But when it comes for your own child, those truths feel like they dissolve in your hands. Even now, it hurts just as much as it did that day. The ache hasn’t faded, but something else has grown alongside it: the ability to find Joy. small, surprising, undeserved Joy, in each day. Some days it’s faint, some days it’s clearer, but it’s always there if I look for it.
That strength doesn’t come from me. It comes from my faith. I used to say I believe, but I don’t wear it on my sleeve. I thought that was humility or maybe privacy. But grief has a way of rearranging what matters and what doesn’t.
Over this past month, I’ve been posting Bible verses. One a day, to get me through today. I wake up with a word on my mind, and I open the Bible searching for what God has to say about it. Today, it’s raining in Atlanta. So the word was rain. And what I found wasn’t about storms or floods, it was this simple truth:
"He weeps with those who grieve." (John 11:35)
One of the shortest verses in Scripture, but somehow one of the most comforting. It reminds me that Jesus didn’t stand apart from sorrow, He entered it. He met broken hearts with His own tears. And if He can weep with us, then surely He can carry us.
So I’m choosing to wear that on my sleeve now. If sharing my faith helps even one person get through one hard day, just one, then it’s worth whatever disagreement or misunderstanding may come. Because grief isolates, but hope connects. And Gordon’s life, Gordon’s love, Gordon’s legacy deserve to be connected to hope.
Today we remember him. Today we miss him. And today, even in the rain, I trust that God is still here, grieving with us, holding us, and reminding us that love does not end.
Please consider donating to the Gordon J. Corsetti Mental Agility Foundation to help us keep Gordon’s legacy alive.
Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for help. In an emergency, please call 911.
If you or someone you know is seeking help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950-NAMI(6264).
For confidential treatment referrals, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website, or call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357).
