LOVE

Posting a picture of Anchor Steam reminds me of Jonathan and Anthony.  Jonathan told me the story of when he and Anthony were in San Fransisco and went to the brewery. Just yesterday I was thinking of how much my life has changed since I met Jonathan and how much I have learned from him. Enjoying 'special' beers is probably not important to most people, but, to me, it was and is. Jonathan looked up to Anthony and learned from him and loved him deeply. Anthony's passion for beer carried through to Jonathan and then carried through to me. It's not about beer, though...it's about family.

Jonathan loved his family more than any single person I have ever known. Every time he would tell a story, he had a sparkle in his eye. He was so happy in those moments that he talked about them, talked to them, and actually got to be with them. Jonathan grew up, apart, from most of his extended family and I think he felt left out a lot. The fondness he had and the things he learned from his cousins, Anthony, his Dad, and Nora and Dave were things that made him the person I fell in love with. He is so genuine and real and honest and loving. Every single thing that made Jonathan who he is (I can't say 'was'- because he's still with me), I could see in each and every part of the family.

When I first met Jonathan, we would seriously sit for hours and hours looking through slide photos he had taken. We would go through one slide at a time and Jonathan would tell story after story of what was contained on each of those slides. I loved it. I felt at ease. I loved his family without hardly even knowing them.  I saw the world through Jonathan's eyes... in his photos and his laughter and his memories.

I found a box full of those slides recently. I started to look through them and had to stop. There are slides of when Jonathan lived with Collin. There are slides of when Jonathan went to Germany to see Anthony and Mary. There are slides of Lake Powell. There are slides of hikes we took around Mt. Humphrey's in Flag. There are slides of quail hunts and family and family and family. I'm lucky to remember so many of those stories he told and remember how happy his family made him. He has such fond memories. Now I carry those memories. I find a little peace knowing that now Jonathan can be with every single one of us any time he wants. He knows everything that is going on and gets to be a part of and an influence in everything we do. I talk to him constantly and I truly feel him most of the time. I really know that he is around all of us. LOVE.