06/02/2026
For Jon 🤍
I have been thinking a lot about Jon lately, who was freed from the pain of brain cancer in February. I met Jon after he fell in love with our sweet friend Ella.
Jon's love for Ella, his family, his nieces & nephews, and strangers was so evident. He always had a smile & a laugh to share with others. He was always welcoming & kind. My husband shared the lived experience of having to travel to participate in a clinical trial, and the hope & fear that comes with it.
Experiencing both Jon's passing & the birth of our daughter during Lent was such a unique experience. There was the pain of death followed so shortly by the promise of new life. A reminder of all that Jesus has done for us & the joy that is still promised.
I've always struggled with grief, and the feeling that I don't have the right to grieve someone who was closer with others than myself. But in my life, people who I have had so little a claim on, have had such a strong claim on me & my faith journey. And that deserves to be celebrated, voiced, and grieved.
Our daughter, who was born 2.5 weeks after Jon's passing, was named Vera because it means "faith" or "true." I meditated a lot in pregnancy over my own faith in the Lord, and how faithful & true He is to His promises. Jon exemplified a faith in Christ that astounded me. A peace in the promise that I hope to emulate. He trusted so deeply in the Lord's ability to provide healing, whether that was in this life or in heaven.
I have said many prayers for Jon over the years, but I continue to pour my prayers into Ella & The Becketts & DeWyns who will miss him for the rest of their lifes. Thank you for sharing Jon with me. Thank you for allowing me to capture a little bit of his light & love.
Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
