Jonathan Still Remembered

It's hard to believe, but today my precious grandson Jonathan Stephen Joseph would have been six years old. And if I close my eyes and think of Jonathan, I can feel his little arms wrapped around my neck, can picture his silky blonde hair, his huge brown eyes, his smile that promised never-ending love.

But tragedy struck our family on January 12, 2006, and Jonathan left us the next day. He was two years and 17 days old when he died. None of us had any idea that Jonathan was born with arterial venous malformation of the brain, that his life would be so short. And maybe that's good. Because we didn't know, all who knew him spent his time on earth loving him, playing with him, enjoying him, teaching him--and learning from him. Even though losing Jonathan still hurts like crazy, I'll never regret the earthly time I spent with him.

I wish he could have known his sister Johanna, born eight days after Jonathan died. The two of them would have enjoyed each other so much. He would have loved his baby brother Josiah, born September 5, 2009, too. Jonathan would have been a great big brother.

Happy Sixth Birthday, Jonathan! Grandmother loves you.