Thursday, February 22, 2007

My Cousin, Jonathan Charles Bishop, 1985-2007


My cousin, Jon passed away Monday morning, February 12th from a brain tumor that took his sight, his balance, his speech, his independence, but as his brother Dave says, it NEVER took his spirit. He was an incredible, handsome young man, always up for a game or telling a joke, and never one to complain, no matter what was happening to him. His brother, Dave, has a wonderful tribute on his blog that I suggest you check out. I was able to see Jon at Christmas and am so thankful for that time. When I saw him he wasn't feeling very well, he was in a wheelchair, but he still had a smile on his face and a willingness visit. I can't imagine what he was going through and how he dealt with it, but from what I saw, he sure handled everything with incredible strength.

I feel so blessed to be a part of a strong, Godly, close-knit family. Most of the family from out of town made it in for the funeral. Sadly, I couldn't be there for the funeral, but as I have heard, it was wonderful. Jon's parents shared from their hearts, his brother, Dan shared how they had a special time these past couple of months first bowling (in which Jon would usually win, even though he couldn't see!) and then later meeting to talk about some seriously deep issues. Dave also shared his thoughts and memories, and Jon's girlfriend shared how they had met and how much love they had for one another. I thank God for giving them strength to get through their speeches so that others could be encouraged by Jon's life.

Jon taught us all a great number of things, including how to handle challenges with strength and dignity. He was the youngest of all the cousins and he will be sorely missed. As much as we wish he was still here, and can't understand why this was his time, we are thankful that we will see him again someday in no pain and with a new, glorious body.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Cheri,
I've enjoyed seeing pictures of Micah on your blog -- such a cutie! Seeing him and holding him at Christmas was great, too. Thank you for including these kind words about Jon! We miss him so much!
Love,
(Aunt) Phyllis

Cheri said...

Aunt Phyllis,
We have been thinking and praying for all of you especially today as we know it was Jon's birthday. I know this day can not be easy on you.

We are very happy for Dan and Mel and their baby news, and excited for you and Barry to be grandparents!

Love, Cheri

Allison said...

Hi Cheri!
This is Allison (Unger) Longueil. I was reading Lynette's blog and came across your comment, so I decided to check out your blog and leave you a little note. Crazy how this blog thing connects people. I have one too - www.allisonlongueil.blogspot.com - I believe you can also link to it from Lynette's blog.
Congrats on your little boy! We had one in May. So many babies these days! Anyway, hope to hear from you soon.

Anonymous said...

Cheri,
Thanks for sharing about Jon on your blog. It was so beautiful to read. Now that the chaos is over, we are feeling even more deeply the loss of Jon and what a great gift he was to us. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.

I LOVE OUR FAMILY, TOO!

Jon IS.

Nikki