Baby Jonah

Our sweet baby Jonah ended his brief sojourn here on earth 6 years ago today.

 

His journey on earth was short - but he taught all of us much that we will never forget.

"Eleven days of life, a lifetime of memories."

An anniversary to remember today

5 years ago today, our sweet baby Jonah finished his earthly sojourn after a brief 11 days.  It was an experience that defined our family in many good ways.

We are grateful for the chance to know him.  For the chance to share his brief life with others.  For the chance to learn first hand about the plan of happiness.

And we are grateful to be reminded each year that he is indeed a forever part of our family.

A sweet anniversary today!

Our sweet baby Jonah was born 5 years ago today.  He only lived 11 days, but he left us a lifetime of memories.

 

Each of those 11 days, we lit candles and sang "Happy Birthday" and were grateful to have that day.

Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Baby Jonah

Four years ago today, our sweet baby Jonah died.  He had come to earth with an imperfect body.  He still fulfilled his mission and so was called home.  He left a lasting imprint on all of our lives, and we are forever grateful for the blessing he was in our lives.

"Eleven days of life, a lifetime of memories."

Remembering Baby Jonah

Baby Jonah was born 4 years ago today.  Some anxiety surrounded his coming here, and we were indeed gratified that we were able to spend so much time with him before he was called home.

 

It was a special time for all of us to be together and to strengthen one another.  Marjorie pointed out what a blessing it was to be together, to sustain and lift one another.

 

His brief life was indeed a blessing to each one of us.

 

"Eleven days of life, a lifetime of memories."

We are grateful for eternal families.

An anniversary today

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the passing of our sweet baby Jonah - the little boy who stayed only 11 days - but left us a lifetime of memories - and lessons to guide us always.

Remembering Baby Jonah - October 8, 2011 - October 19, 2011

Like his tiny footprint, sweet baby Jonah Adam left an indelible memory for each one of us.

 

When they told us he might not live but a moment, we were grateful for every moment he was with us.

 

He left a lifetime of memories in his brief 11 days.

 

We are all better people for having known him.

 

And we will always remember him with joy and gladness for his brief life we were allowed to share.  Like the doves that were released at his burial, we come back again and again to the message of hope and redemption in the Savior.

Thank you baby Jonah.

In memoriam

Today is the 2nd anniversary of the death of our sweet baby Jonah.  We continue to remember him and his short life.  And we continue to remember that we are a forever family.

"Eleven days of life; a lifetime of memories."

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Jonah!

We celebrated baby Jonah's 2nd birthday in fine style.  Harry took the children to put balloons on his grave, and earlier Kathy K. and Bonnie C. visited and put decorations on his grave and took photos - then went and visited Dawn and showed her the pictures.

We had a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake and blew out candles after singing.  Harry video taped it and sent it to Dawn.  Eliza sent a magnificent spread of cookies and pastries - I give up on dieting!!  Dawn and little Deacon will be home tomorrow, so life should settle down soon. 

Or at least move into organized chaos??

Technology and the gospel keep us together!!

Baby Jonah's Birthday

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of the birth of our sweet baby Jonah.  We are grateful for his brief sojourn with us, because he taught us so much.  And we are grateful that we know we will see him again one day.

Just a year ago today . .

our sweet baby Jonah left us after his brief earthly sojourn.

It was an eventful, learning, growing, crying, sorrowing, but loving time for our family.  The blessing of being able to all be together with Jonah was one we will not soon forget.

The year since has found me recalling often the lessons this little boy taught us all.  When I visit the peaceful spot where he is buried, I don't think about what he might have been, but rather I usually feel a renewed sense of determination to live more worthily and effectively.  

"Eleven days of life . . . a lifetime of memories."

Happy Birthday Baby Jonah!

It was a year ago today that sweet Baby Jonah came into our lives - and our hearts.

It was a tender mercy and a blessing to share his brief life together as a family.

It was comforting to celebrate each day we had with him.

He taught all of us many lessons that will hold us in good stead for all of our lives.

A few weeks after he died, I found this poem - I couldn't quite remember the title, so my searches were not very productive when I had tried to find it earlier.  I may have already posted it, but most poetry bears repeating!

It seems fitting for this occasion.

To A Child Gone by Carol Lynn Pearson

I thought I was ahead of you in line.

You would take your turn

After I took mine,

Like we did before.

I guess you don't need new shoes

For starting heaven,

Or a light kept on against the dark

Like I always did.

But I'm so used to parenting.

I wanted just to be there -

To do whatever needed to be done.

But you went first.

And now, my little one,

Suddenly you are my senior.

Morning, I know, will come.

But, bring close your light -

This time it is I who fear the night.

Thank you, Baby Jonah, for bringing your light into our lives!

Another glorious Easter - and a special anniversary too -

Today is Easter Sunday. And today is also the 6 month anniversary of the birth of our sweet baby Jonah. It seems fitting that we pause to think about the death and resurrection of the Savior at the same time that we rejoice in the knowledge that Jonah is part of our forever family.

As I drove around Monrovia this week with the grandchildren, several times we passed the three wooden crosses that adorn the lawn in front of the Immaculate Conception Church on Shamrock. They put these up at Easter time each year. I am not sure exactly what part of their Easter celebration involves these three crosses.

Eve said, "I know why we don't have crosses on our church and why we don't wear crosses. We don't want to think about Jesus dead, we want to think about him living." It was one of those perfect teaching moments for me to say, "We worship the living Christ. Because of His sacrifice, we know that Jonah will be with us in the next life. This is a great blessing and one we are truly thankful for."

Then Eve said, "We aren't glad Jesus died, but we are glad that he was resurrected."

Jonah is still influencing our lives for the better. Happy Half-Birthday baby Jonah!

"Each life that touches ours for good . . .

reflects thine own great mercy, Lord."

It is good to remember sweet baby Jonah.

We are all better people for having known him.

A birthday anniversary

Sunday was the 3 month anniversary of Jonah's birth. So it seemed like a good time to go put some flowers on his grave. Also, Leslie was here visiting and wanted to visit, and Mom wanted to take some flowers from her yard. So late Sunday afternoon we headed to the cemetery. It is really a lovely spot - and we enjoyed walking around, especially in the Honor Garden for war veterans. It is always nice to reflect on Jonah's brief but meaningful life.

The yellow roses that Ida put on his grave when she visited are blooming and lovely too.

Afterwards we went to Harry and Dawn's for dinner - and Mary also joined us.

Leslie and Harry - engaged in some interesting discussion!!

Turns out Mom is a regular participant in air-hockey games with Harry William!!

Now that we have a kitchen - although there appear to be "issues" with the new dishwasher that finally came - we can start taking our turn hosting Sunday dinner once again - Dawn and Harry have been the host and hostess with the mostest for quite a few months now - and we have appreciated it!

Life is returning to normal - whatever that is!!

Happy Day Sweet Baby Jonah!

Today is the 2 month birthday mark for our sweet baby Jonah.

It seems ages ago that we were treasuring our moments here with him. Yet it seems like yesterday too. It's my hope that the closeness of our memories will stay with us all. We are better people for having known Jonah.

A note to you all:

Harry and Dawn asked me to have an obituary printed for Jonah. I got frustrated with the Star News, so ended up going with the LA Times. It was in the Times today - but you can also access it online. You go to LATimes.com and click on obituaries. You can also click on the Guestbook and there is a place to send messages to Harry and Dawn - just in case you were interested.

Meanwhile, life goes on - most of the out of town guests have gone. Marjorie is here for another week or so. Friends and family continue to express their love and concern.

And if we had a little cake, we'd sing Happy Birthday!

(Harry has expressed his desire to post something on the blog - I told him to take his time - any time he's up to it, we'll be glad to read it!)

Big brothers and little brothers - and other late night ruminations

Dawn's family started arriving last week. B.J. - also called Sean - is Dawn's younger brother. Porter seems to have a special relationship with him, and it's sweet to behold.

B.J. actually left this a.m. to go back to Texas, but the other family members who were still here went to Santa Anita for the morning workouts and breakfast at Clocker's Corner. The children stayed home from school today, and after Santa Anita, they all headed off to Disneyland!! It was gray and cloudy all day - we are grateful we didn't have that yesterday. But it's perfect Disneyland weather!! (And I wanted a reason to post this sweet picture!)

I took the day off too - I had plenty to do, but I certainly didn't do all of it. Didn't even do most of it! I found that after two weeks of non-stop needing to do things, I was somewhat adrift. For the first time since Jonah's birth, there was time to reflect on his short little life. I have not really reflected much before now - if there was time to do it, I usually fell asleep!

I need to process all that has occurred, and I need to sort out what kind of impact it will have. Some of that impact will just happen. Some of it will be directed by my thoughts and intentions. I mostly find myself thinking about the events - they keep running through my mind. I love looking at the photos, re-reading the blog posts I have written and those others have written. I simply have not ever had such a life-changing experience before. I thought that getting married, having children, finishing school, moving to new locations - these were "life-changing." Weren't they?

But they were and are ongoing events. This little life has had an ending - at least an ending here on earth. And as I have said before, I am not the same person I was before. I don't especially want to be the same person. I want to be more aware, more sensitive, more intuitive, more connected. More like the kind of person who will be there to greet Jonah. More like the kind of person who will always keep his memory significant in my life. More like the kind of person Jonah was.

Good-bye baby Jonah

Today we said our final good-byes to Baby Jonah. The day dawned gray and overcast - reflective of our mood. But the sun peeked through and gave us just enough light to feel good about the day. The church building was awash with flowers, photos, and food. And friends and family too. The turnout was inspiring - to know that such a small boy, who only stayed for a few days, could touch so many hearts was indeed balm to our sorrowing hearts. Harry was especially touched that so many from his police department came to pay their respects. They were also touched when the nurses from Methodist arrived. These women told me how much they appreciated Dawn and Harry's willingness to share Jonah with them.

Brooke and Amy especially took charge of displays in the foyers and arranging all the lovely flowers that had arrived. They included Ella's quilt and the quilt from the Linus project.

The little lamb will be a stand in for Jonah when we take group photos of the grandchildren. And the sweet romper outfit was made by Sue Cornwall. I crocheted the little hat almost as an afterthought. Since he wore it a few times, I'm certainly glad I did! He was wrapped in the afghan I crocheted for him, and I am happy when I think that my love literally surrounded him on his final journey.

The Young Women leaders and girls made this beautiful quilt. It will be a treasure throughout the coming years.

We spent yesterday going through some of the many photos Harry has taken and put them together in frames and collages. It was a labor of love.

When I peeked into the chapel to take photos of the flowers, Ara and her mom were getting in some last-minute practicing. They both did a lovely job and added a special touch to the service. A big thank you to Roseann and Sue for the music - conducting and playing the organ.

Paula and Rebecca sent the plant and the stone which says "In our arms for only a short time. In our hearts forever."

The Relief Society did their usual wonderful job on the luncheon.

Mom, Donna, and Mary as we gathered for the family visitation before the service.

Harry and Dawn greeted friends and family. The flow of guests was steady - a tribute to the love many have for Harry and Dawn and our family.

I kept a lot of extra programs and will try to send them off to those who would like one - they were lovely - a tribute to Harry and Dawn's thoughtful attention to every detail.

Bill and Helen greeting each other.

Jim McKendrick made the lovely walnut casket - it was so tiny - the paintings of the Savior were gifts from Dawn's brother and nephew.

Jim also made the wagon. Harry placed the casket in the wagon, and Isla rode in it too. Eve pulled it into the chapel and Harry and Porter walked behind it. Harry and Dawn followed as they came into the chapel down the south aisle. When the service was over, they went up the north aisle to go out. Someone commented, "I could keep the tears at bay until I saw the wagon!" It was a sweet procession.

Dawn - doing what she does so well - fixing Eve's hair!

It was wonderful to see Erika and Scott, who made special trips to be here. Lest you think that your presence at a funeral goes unnoticed, I am here to say that it is noticed!! And appreciated.

The service itself was beautiful. The opening song featured the Terrill family anthem, "Because I Have Been Given Much," Pres. Cornwall spoke on the plan of happiness. The Primary children sang "I Am A Child of God" and Ara played a flute descant. They also sang "I Feel My Savior's Love." It was sweet when little Scarlett Ciesla ran up to the stand to join in. Harry spoke about the lessons that Jonah had taught their family. We hope to have a transcript of his remarks soon. A trio of Dawn's friends sang the Dixie Chicks song "Lullaby" and it was beautiful. Then Bishop Stevenson gave remarks, and the closing song was "Families Can Be Together Forever." The opening and closing prayers were given by Dawn's older brother Joe and her nephew Travis.

At the graveside, Harry dedicated the grave. His voice was strong and clear - the Lord truly sustained all of us today - and we are so grateful for that tender mercy.

There were also white doves - the children were allowed to release them - they flew off, circled, and then headed to their home in Hacienda Heights. It was a nice touch - and the children loved it.

Harry, Dawn and their children acquitted themselves so well today - Dad and I are so proud of their enduring faith and demeanor - they are a credit to us all. Jonah would have approved, I am sure.

One of the the special nurses from Methodist Hospital.

Heading off to Live Oak.

We were so pleased that Anne and Wayne were in town and were able to attend. Cheryl, Gilbert's daughter, also came.

Marjorie, her sister Annette, and Annette's daughter Katie. So good to see them again.

Rebecca, Marina, and Paula - neighbors and friends - what good neighbors they have been and continue to be.

Heather, Bruce, Bonny, and Frances.

Donna, Isla, Ara, Annika, Ella - I don't think I got all of the children who were present - they were pretty much running around by the time we got back to the church!

Did manage a family shot of Bonny and Bruce's family - and Ember scooted in too!

Harry and Scott - a formidable duo!!

I feel bad that the only shots of Greg and Noah are these - they were busy helping pretty much the whole time!! We were glad to have them there with us!

And I did remember to include myself - here with Miss Isla - who did a great job today - as a not-quite-two-year-old, these last couple of weeks have been a bit of a mystery to her - and she is doing a great job of adapting!! She sat with me at the funeral through most of Pres. Cornwall's talk. Then I took her to the nursery. I went for her again during the closing song, so she could ride in the wagon as we left the chapel. She gets the prize today, in addition to all the Tic Tacs I plied her with!!

I'm sure it will be a while before I sort through the various feelings and emotions that have taken over my life these last weeks. This experience is so new to me - one I didn't think I was prepared for. But I have just gone day to day - sometimes hour to hour even - and the Lord has blessed and sustained me. I have blogged, written in my journal, talked to anyone who would listen - but it's still not quite settled in my mind. Maybe it never will be. I will never be the same person again - what I want to be is the person who can be there to greet Jonah when we are once again reunited!