JONATHAN WESLEY CLARK
Linda & Bobby Clark
On
On
The
name Jonathan means, "God's Gracious Gift" and we acknowledged this
promise from the moment of his birth. We never took our life together for
granted. We played together, worshiped together and traveled together. We snow
skied in
In
the summer of 1999 Jon was able to tour
Somehow
amidst the numbness and confusion of planning my son's funeral I had the idea
of placing blank memory books on the table of photos. I requested that people
write any memories they had of Jon in these books. How grateful I am to have
the precious words of his friends. A few of the entries are as follows:
"He had a gentle touch and delightful presence" "I remember the
way he laughed more than anything else" "His laugh was contagious and
his smile bright and shining. It was though Jon knew he needed to pack as many
experiences as possible in his brief time with us" "Because of the
time our families spent at the beach, the ocean will always remind me of Jon.
He was not content to lie on the beach, but always on a boogie board, roller
blades or a bike. He would usually catch the biggest wave and the cutest girl.
Wherever Jon went, his friends surrounded him. If a measure of a man's life is
his friends, then Jon had life fuller than the years he lived", "Jon
made us feel special. He always had a happy and energetic atmosphere about him
everywhere he went." "Everyone loved him, even in foreign
lands." "I know Jon is looking down at us and smiling as he always
does." "It was impossible to walk away from a conversation with Jon
without a smile on your face." "He was a bright light in everyone's
life. He just had an aura about him. Whenever I saw him out somewhere it would
put me in a good mood. I thank God that I was blessed to be his friend. He was
love, he was joy, and I am proud to call him my friend." “We know you are
in heaven Jon, and we also know that you taught us how to live." "Jon
was always the happiest person I knew. Every morning in class if I was upset,
he would always make me forget about my problems." "
Jon
embraced life and even in death he gave the gift of life to seven lucky people.
It was important to us that the doctors were aware of our son's wish to be an
organ donor. It was a simple conversation on the day he obtained his driver's
license when he expressed this desire. It was right that this beautiful life
live on. Organ donation was also a way of making something good out of
something so very bad. We have been blessed by knowing Jerry, our son's heart
recipient and his family. He proudly wears a button picture of Jon when he does
volunteer work for organ donation, and when I first felt his heartbeat and saw
his smile I knew my child would never be forgotten.
I
grieve for my son every single day. I want to be with him. When I discovered I
had breast cancer several months after Jon died I thought, YES, this is my
chance to be with my son! But as I pondered my treatment options I felt the
spirit of my son saying, "Live life Mom!" Each time I feel this
despair or when I no longer want to get out of bed or live I hear the voice of
my son saying, "Get up Mom, live your life for me. Live the life I would
have lived," and I realize that I am the only voice for this precious
young man. So as long as I have breath I will tell his story. There is a saying
that goes, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." I know
that God has his arms wrapped me and his miracles are around me if I remain
still, recognize and appreciate them. I know that my son is in God's presence.
Jon continues to give us reminders that he is with us in spirit almost every
single day. The butterfly and our pennies from heaven continue to grant us the
strength and courage to make it through another day. My husband and I like to
think that Jon is watching us from heaven and our wish is to make him as proud
of us as we were of him. We were so proud to have been your parents Jon, even
if it was only for eighteen years. We love you and KNOW we will see you again!
PEACE ... Love MOM