“Next Year, I Will Be a Memory: The Last Christmas of Ethan”

The city glimmered with Christmas lights — twinkling stars hung from windows, the aroma of plum cakes filled the air, and church bells echoed softly through the night. But in a small hospital room, 13-year-old Ethan Matthews watched the lights from his window with a quiet smile, knowing this would be his last Christmas.

Ethan had been battling stage 4 bone cancer for over two years. Once a lively boy who loved singing in the church choir and dreaming about becoming a musician, his body had grown frail, but his faith remained unshaken. As snowflakes drifted past the glass, he whispered, “Life is still beautiful — even when it hurts.”

That night, while his parents held his hands, Ethan opened his worn diary and began to write what would become his final letter — a farewell note that would touch every heart that read it.

“Next year, I will be a memory,” he wrote in shaky letters.
“Don’t cry for me. Instead, sing the carols loud and light up the tree brighter than ever. I’ve learned that life isn’t about how long you live but how deeply you love. Every laugh, every prayer, every moment of kindness — that’s what makes life beautiful. Even when it’s short.”

Ethan’s Final Prayer

“Dear Lord,

Thank You for the gift of this life — for my family, my friends, and all the little joys You gave me. Even though my time here is short, my heart is full. I’ve seen Your light in every smile, in every song, and in every sunset. You never left me, not even when I was scared or in pain.

Tonight, as the Christmas lights shine outside my window, I know You’re calling me home. Please give my mom and dad strength when I’m gone. Let them feel my love in every warm breeze, every candle’s glow, every Christmas carol.

Tell them I’m okay, that I’m free now — no more pain, no more tears. Just peace and light.

And please, Lord, let me be the brightest star in the sky this Christmas, so they’ll know I’m watching over them.

Life is beautiful, and so is Heaven.

Amen.”

On Christmas Eve, Ethan peacefully passed away, surrounded by his family and the soft glow of fairy lights. His letter was later read during the church’s midnight service — and many wept, realizing how one young boy had seen beauty in life even as he faced the end.

Now, every Christmas, the Matthews family places a single candle by the window — a light for Ethan, the boy who taught them that even in pain, life is beautiful.