A Father’s Tribute to His Son
Collin Scott Riddle
There are some people in this world who simply feel things more deeply than others. They love harder, care more, and have an extraordinary ability to recognize the needs of the people around them. They notice the person standing alone, the friend who is having a difficult day, and the quiet struggles that others may overlook. Collin was one of those people.
Collin had an enormous heart. It was one of the most beautiful things about him. He genuinely wanted people to be happy. He wanted to make others smile, to feel accepted, and to know they mattered. Relationships meant so much to him, and he had a remarkable ability to make other people’s happiness important to him.
You could see through his actions that Collin wore his heart on the outside. He never wanted anyone to feel left out, unwanted, or alone. He never wanted someone else to struggle if there was something he could do to help. If someone was hurting, he wanted to make it better. If someone was uncomfortable, he wanted to bring them comfort. If someone felt excluded, he wanted them to feel included. He didn’t simply notice when someone needed kindness. He felt compelled to do something about it.
And perhaps one of the most remarkable things about Collin was his willingness to put the needs of others ahead of his own. He would go out of his way to make sure someone else was comfortable, even when it required a sacrifice on his part. He would willingly shoulder someone else’s burden if it meant making their day a little easier. He understood something that many people spend their entire lives trying to learn: sometimes the greatest gift we can give another person is simply making them feel seen, included, and loved.
Collin was willing to carry burdens that were never his to carry, simply because he couldn’t bear the thought of someone else hurting.
That was his heart. It was a rare and beautiful quality about him, and it is something I will always admire.
Sometimes the people with the biggest hearts carry the heaviest burdens, not because they have more problems than everyone else, but because they care enough to help carry everyone else’s.
Collin and I shared an incredibly close relationship. We thought alike in so many ways, understood many of the same emotions, and shared a perspective on life that created a connection I will treasure forever. There were parts of Collin that I understood because I recognized so much of myself in him. We had conversations about life, relationships, and the importance of making a difference in the lives of others. I didn’t always have all the answers, and I certainly don’t have them all today, but I understood his heart.
One of the things I admired most was his desire to bring happiness to others. After all, what could be more meaningful than making someone feel loved, helping a friend through a difficult time, or ensuring that someone knows they matter, who might otherwise feel forgotten?
Scripture encourages us to live with that kind of compassion. Galatians 6:2 (ESV) says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
That verse reminds me so much of Collin. He had a heart that naturally wanted to carry the burdens of others. He didn’t need to be told to care. It was simply part of who he was. His kindness wasn’t something he turned on when it was convenient. It was woven into the way he lived and the way he treated people.
And that is something worth celebrating.
A Lesson About Love That Can Take a Lifetime to Understand
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate something about Collin’s heart that has also deepened my understanding of Scripture.
We are taught to love our neighbors, put others before ourselves, serve those in need, and treat people the way we would want to be treated. Collin naturally demonstrated so many of these qualities. He wanted people to feel good about themselves, to be comfortable, and to know someone cared.
It seems perfectly reasonable that a person could spend their life trying to please both God and the people around them. After all, wouldn’t making everyone happy be part of living a good and meaningful life?
But there is a distinction that can take decades of living, learning, and growing in faith to fully understand.
Galatians 1:10 (ESV) asks:
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man?”
That verse has become especially meaningful to me. It reminds me that there is a difference between loving people and living for their approval. God calls us to love, encourage, serve, and care for others, but He never intended for our peace or our worth to depend on satisfying everyone’s expectations.
I think that distinction is one of the great lessons of life. We can spend years believing that if we are kind enough, generous enough, and thoughtful enough, we can make everyone happy. But human expectations are constantly changing. What one person appreciates, another may not. What brings happiness today may be different tomorrow.
We can love people with our whole hearts without making their approval the measure of our worth.
And that is where our relationship with God becomes so important.
People are human. Their feelings change, their expectations change, and even those who love us deeply cannot always provide the understanding and reassurance we seek. But God’s faithfulness is constant.
People may disappoint us, misunderstand us, or let us down. But God never will.
Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV) reminds us that the Lord goes before us and will never leave or forsake us. His love is not dependent upon someone else’s opinion, and His faithfulness is not determined by our ability to make everyone happy.
I have come to understand that the greatest purpose in loving others is not to earn their approval, but to reflect the love God has already shown us.
The goal is not to make everyone happy. The goal is to love people faithfully, serve them generously, and trust God with the things we cannot control.
And when I think about Collin, I see so much of that love reflected in the way he treated people. His instinct was to care. His desire was to help. His heart was drawn toward anyone who needed comfort, encouragement, or simply someone willing to stand beside them.
We sat and talked about this often but there is a difference between hearing something and having developed wisdom that years of experience teaches. I wish I could sit with him today and share some of the wisdom that life and faith would have continued to teach him. I know we would have one of those conversations we so often enjoyed, talking about people, relationships, and the things that truly matter.
And I would tell him how much I admire the compassion he carried and how grateful I am that I had the privilege of seeing that beautiful heart up close.
God Sees the Heart
There is another verse in Scripture that I think describes something especially beautiful about Collin.
1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV) reminds us that while people look at outward appearances, “the LORD looks on the heart.”
I find tremendous comfort in that truth because so much of what made Collin special was found in his heart. God saw the intentions behind his kindness, the love he carried, and the genuine desire he had to bring happiness to others.
He saw a young man who never wanted anyone to feel excluded. Someone who noticed when another person needed encouragement and wanted to make their day better. Someone who was willing to put his own comfort aside so another person could feel comfortable. Someone who understood that even the smallest gesture of kindness could mean the world to another person.
God saw the heart of a young man who cared so deeply about other people’s burdens that he willingly helped carry them as though they were his own.
And while I knew my son better than most, I also know there were parts of his heart that only God could fully understand.
I think about the example Jesus gave us through His own life. He noticed people others overlooked. He showed compassion to those who were hurting. He welcomed those who felt excluded and demonstrated that love is often expressed through the simplest acts of kindness.
I see something of that same spirit of compassion when I remember Collin.
And there is something else about Collin that I will always treasure: the way we connected through music.
He knew the songs Rachelle and I loved because he carefully paid attention, often when we didn’t even realize it. He would make playlists for us, introducing us to music he thought we would enjoy. That may seem like a small thing to some people, but to me it was another beautiful reflection of his heart.
He paid attention to the little things that made other people happy. He remembered what mattered to us, and he found ways to share something meaningful. Music was also one of the ways Collin expressed himself. Sometimes a song could communicate a feeling or tell a story in a way that ordinary words couldn’t.
Those playlists were more than collections of songs. They were little pieces of Collin, thoughtfully chosen and shared with the people he loved.
Even today, when I sit beside his grave, I bring him music. I play songs I think he would have loved, just as he once shared songs with me. In those quiet moments, I remember our conversations, our connection, and all the things that made our relationship so special.
Music was one of the ways he shared a little piece of himself, and it remains one of the ways I feel close to him now.
What Collin’s Life Continues to Teach Me
One of the greatest lessons Collin’s life has taught me is to ask myself a simple question: “Is there something I’m not seeing yet?”
We never truly know everything another person is carrying. We don’t always recognize the emotions behind someone’s smile, the kindness behind a simple gesture, or the thoughtfulness behind an act that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Collin reminds me to look deeper. To notice people. To listen more carefully. To consider what someone else might need rather than focusing only on what I want to say or accomplish.
He reminds me that kindness isn’t always found in grand gestures. Sometimes it is found in noticing the person who feels left out, remembering a song someone loves, checking on a friend, or choosing to make someone else’s day a little brighter.
Sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do for another person is simply make sure they know they matter.
That was something Collin understood so naturally.
I hope people who knew him will carry that part of his life forward. I hope they will be a little more intentional about including others, a little more generous with encouragement, and a little more willing to help someone who is struggling.
I hope they will remember that the person who goes out of their way to care for everyone else deserves that same kindness in return. That compassion should never be taken for granted, and that a generous heart is something to be cherished.
And perhaps most importantly, I hope they will remember that we don’t have to solve every problem in someone’s life to make a meaningful difference. Sometimes our presence, our attention, and our willingness to care are gifts far greater than we realize.
Collin’s life reminds me that a beautiful heart is not measured by what it receives, but by the love it gives.
And Collin gave so much love.
A Father’s Heart
When I think of Collin, I see a young man with an extraordinary capacity to love, a heart that wanted to make others happy, and a sensitivity that allowed him to understand the feelings of those around him.
I see someone who shared my thoughts, understood my heart, and connected with me in ways that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I see someone who made the people around him feel important, who wanted everyone to be included, and who found genuine happiness in bringing happiness to others.
I see the little things that made him who he was. The music he shared with us. The conversations we had. The way he cared. The thoughtfulness behind his actions. The way he wanted everyone around him to feel included and loved.
I would give anything to have another conversation with him. Not because there is something I need to teach him or something I wish he had done differently, but simply because I know that heart would have grown even bigger today.
I would love to hear his thoughts again, listen to another song he discovered, laugh about something only the two of us would understand, and enjoy the simple privilege of being together.
And if I could tell him one thing today, it would be this:
Collin, I am so proud of the man you were, the heart you had, and the love you gave so freely. You made this world a better place simply by caring about the people in it.
You were my son. You were loved beyond anything words can describe. And the love you gave continues to live in the hearts of the people who were fortunate enough to know you.
I am proud of the compassion you showed, the kindness you shared, and the way you made people feel important. I am grateful for the relationship we had, for the conversations we shared, and for every memory that remains.
I will spend the rest of my life missing your laughter, your music, your thoughts, and the simple privilege of being your dad.
I hope that when people remember Collin, they remember more than the fact that he is gone. I hope they remember how much he loved, how much he cared, and how deeply he wanted to bring happiness to the people around him.
I hope they remember that he never wanted anyone to feel left out. That he was willing to sacrifice his own comfort to bring comfort to someone else. That when someone was struggling, his instinct was to help carry their burden.
And I hope his life inspires us to live with a little more compassion, to notice the people who might otherwise be overlooked, and to love one another with the same generosity of heart that came so naturally to him.
Collin was a beautiful heart, a deeply loved son, and a gift that I will forever be grateful God allowed me to call mine.
I wish the world had more time to know him.
And I wish I had more time to be his dad.
But I will always be proud that I was.
