Brandie was with Jess today so I decided to hike up a hill that we have hiked with Jess several times in the past. He was always several minutes ahead of us, of course. I find myself trying to go to places we have been to see if I can feel his presence. When I got to the top I had this overwhelming feeling of wanting to just keep climbing up and up until I found him. Chris and I shed a lot of tears today. Today is his birthday. Twenty years ago we brought a beautiful blue eyed, blonde haired, beautiful boy into this world. We only got to spend 17 of those 20 years with him. Yes, you might say he has been with us for the last 3 years too, but it just hasn't been fair. We didn't get to see him laugh enough, talk enough, shoot enough basketballs, give us enough hugs, share enough stories, tell us enough of his goals and dreams...we didn't listen enough, play enough or have enough fun. It hurts so much sometimes not knowing if we will ever get a chance to say and do all of those things again. I know one thing we did do though...we have always loved him more than anyone could possibly love someone and we still do.
Thanks to all of those who remembered Jess today. He got lots of phone calls & cards, my friend Sheila did a great Marilyn Monroe version of Happy Birthday for him (she even got a smile out of him), Curtie and Linda brought him 20 balloons, little Jahara sang him Happy Birthday over the phone and his Grandma Juliann in Cleveland even played Happy Birthday on a harmonica for him. He is loved!
If you would like to leave him a message, please click on comments and type in your message. I will read them to him.
Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!
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3 comments:
Hi Jess ! Happy belated Birthday and Happy Fourth of July ! I finally had a day off to sit and write a little.
It's getting noisey around here in Cleveland, with everyone starting to blow their firecrackers off.
I'm sitting here with Grandma Juliann and Brian finishing hot dogs, or mom calls them "weiners".
Other than that, we're enjoying the cooler weather for Cleveland and watching the clouds.
Mom and Brian say hey !
Mom just pulled out some really old sparklers, Yup, they work, even after 20 years.
Looks like a little rain, hope it clears by firework time.
We Love You Jess,
Aunt Jenn, Grandma Juliann, Brian, Mike, Jenny, Izabelle, Viktoria, Patrick, Luke.
Hi Jess,
I wonder if your neighborhood was as loud with fireworks as ours was? The rockets were flying over our house from neighbors across the street and some landed in our pine trees, sparks and all. Wild . . . I 'm telling you.
I often wish you still lived just a few doors down. I miss your family.
Sending you prayers of healing and love.
Your friend, Judy Stoltzfus
Happy Belated Birthday and Fourth of July Jess!!! It's amazing how quickly time flies.... can you believe it's been five years since my amazing summer in Idaho and yet the memories are so vivid. In fact I was woken up on July 5th at two in the morning by the little teenagers next door letting off fireworks. I was so annoyed and as I began to get out of bed to go ask them to stop, I remembered the blue eyed cutie next door staying up real late doing the same thing....and later you and I laughed about it and talk about how much fun you and Curtie and Dustin had that night, so i quickly got back into bed thinking I hope they have at least half the fun you guys had that night. Anyways, I gotta run but I'll write again soon. And Jess... thank you for all the memories I have of that summer cause without you it wouldn't have been the same.
Your friend from Cali, Stephanie
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