Matt Erickson was the best friend that I ever had. It would be impossible to use words to describe the friend that he was to me and the person he was in this world. Matt was an interesting person who had a lot of things going for him. On September 28, 2011, a day that will live in infamy for the rest of my life, Matt killed himself. I will never be able to truly understand why Matt did this, but I can only speculate as someone who knew him very well. However, speculation over this matter is unimportant to me. I want to remember my best friend, Matt, for the way he lived his life, not the way he chose to end it.
Matt was a natural-born leader. He was involved in many activities in high school, so many more than me. All I ever did was play tennis, and I even quit the team my senior year. I wasn’t very good, and I couldn’t take the competitive nature of it all. I was too afraid to fail. But Matt was never like that. Matt ran cross-country for 4 years, even though he wasn’t the best. He stuck with the things that were important to him, Also, Matt joined the Varsity Singers group at our high school, a group of students who sang and danced, and performed shows. Even though I was involved with the school choir as a freshmen, I quit because I was embarrassed that I liked to sing and I didn’t want to be judged for it. Matt played trumpet in the high school marching band, while I quit playing guitar and I quit playing piano. Matt performed in high school plays and improv shows, something that I always wanted to do but never acted upon. Matt was a Boy Scout, a member of a church, and had real interests, such as marine biology. If I had only half the dedication and involvement that Matt had, the world would have limitless possibilities for me. But I never even compared to the Involvement and Dedication that Matt had in everything he did. Nonetheless, I never stuck with the things that I set out to do, leaving me to ask myself, “Why did you do this Matt?” It should have been me, if anyone.
That is why I will never meet a better person, a better friend, a better leader than Matt Erickson. I will not remember him for how he left this world, I will only remember him for what he achieved and his unwavering loyalty to his interests and his family and friends. My friend, Matt, taught me more about being a leader than anyone ever could. His death changed my life forever, pushed me to the edge of everything I ever knew, and forced me to change who I was. I can never thank Matt for doing this for me, and that is, by far, the saddest thought I can ever have. As I sit here in tears, finishing this post, I don’t know what more needs to be said. He was great at everything he did, just because he showed up and didn’t quit.
I have changed my life so very much since losing my best friend, Matt. So many things changed and accomplished, all of which I wish I could tell my friend, because I know how much he would have cared. I don’t sit in the back row in my classes any more, I sit in the front. I went from being a horrible student, to being top of my class. I went from being a complete waste of a person, to someone who can bring value to any situation. Oddly enough, it only happened because I lost my best friend. That is why I vow to be successful. I vow to achieve as much as I possibly can in life. I take each opportunity as a blessing, and treat the time I have on this earth as very valuable. It is because this horrible event happened to me, that I want to rise above it all. Lastly, it’s for Matt. Because someone needs to live a successful life for him.
I always think of my life’s dreams that I shared with Matt, and all the very in-depth conversations we had. After Matt died, I struggled with school work and tried to think of what would really motivate me to succeed. I told Matt of the vision I had of myself in the future, speaking at the Lincoln Memorial. I think he bought into what I was saying and his spirit continues to support me to this day. To remember my great friend, Matt, I am working with a scholarship fund in his name, “The Matthew Lee Erickson Scholarship Fund”. Please support this great cause. I guarantee Matt Erickson would have supported you.
harrypetersonleadership 
My condolences on the death of your good friend, Harry.
When I was your age I too lost a close friend – without ever knowing why. No note, no hint. Nothing.
Like you, his death forced me to “re-evaluate” my life in a way that I probably never would have done so. I became stronger; more determined – to create and craft meaning in my life so to, in part, honor his life and the strength and mentorship he offered to me.
That which does not kill me, makes me stronger (& wiser, hopefully).
It’s many years later. But a day does not go by that I don’t say a Prayer of “Hello” to my friend.
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