Dear Minecraft

Dear Minecraft,

I was still in carseats with my light-up shoes when I first saw you

A world full of wonder, mystery

A world full of excitement,

Made of intricate perfect cubed blocks.

I saw a world of mine.

And in it I saw

Blocks that I could control

Blocks that were mine

Blocks that helped me escape a troubling harsh reality

Blocks that gave me a sense of control over my life.

As only a 7-year-old boy,

People would strike me down like they were knocking down toy dominoes for fun.

People tore my sanity apart like a fissure in the earth after a great earthquake.

People thought of me as a superhero: I had the power of invisibility.

People spit, spat, made me feel like a burden. A failure.

This harsh reality was like an infection

Spreading through my very veins

Till my head wanted to burst

Till my eyes wanted to cry rivers of rage

Till my body pleads no more.

But this infection of mine — had a cure. It was you — Minecraft. You were — my cure.

When I launched into a new world of blocks,

An invisible healing energy flowed from the magical game

To my mind and heart healing this infection of a harsh reality.

When I explored this new world, I felt like a

Nomad in the desert who just found a green oasis with the fragrance of fresh water.

I felt like Galileo Galilei staring with disbelief as he discovers Saturn has rings

I felt like Lucy walking into the wardrobe discovering a whole new world of Narnia.

I felt I had control over my life as I discovered a world that I could name my own.

When I built my first house, I remember

Standing on a nearby mountain looking down at this creation with pride and satisfaction.

My dirt hut, a gigantic grand glistening glowing temple.

This hut was not dictated by people.

It was something I could call — my own.

It protected me from more than just skeletons, spiders, and zombies.

It protected me from the grasp of a brutal reality.

When I logged onto my first server, I still remember nascarnicolas,

A player who actually truly understood me

A player who did not shame me, but proclaimed that

My name is something of excellence.

As a little boy, when life said no to friends,

You, yes you Minecraft, came with a compassion and brought light to a dark loneliness.

And as we became older, we became distant.

Old friends perhaps. But this friendship was the best one I ever had.

You were my early childhood. Thank you.

I will always remember you.

And when I donate my body to science,

the scientists will look puzzled with awe as they discover

my heart was not made of tissue, but of blocks.

Thank you Minecraft,

Thank you so much

-Matthew