It is not length of life, but depth of life.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jonathan Luke Brooks March 12, 1989 – February 6, 2004
Happy 25th Birthday to a man the world never got to know.
We lost Jon ten years ago, and I’m amazed at how quickly time can pass.
For those that are new in my life, Jon was a close friend of my brother and I, and he was in the car the day of Nathan’s accident. He was fourteen.
Broken bones, tire swings, open hearts, big dreams. Our childhood was rich with life. You see, we grew up together. He lived down the street. We could be best friends or worst enemies in minutes. There was just something special about it all.
We soaked in everything that childhood had to offer whether we were exploring in the woods or telling ghost stories in my parent’s closet, and as we aged, so did our friendship.
I was assured in the midst of my broken hearts that I was a pretty girl that deserved a boy that was nice to me. And despite his homeschooling, I assured him that he wasn’t weird like the rest of them.
Yes, that is a Capri Sun straw hanging out of his mouth. I took this a few months before the accident.
Two nights before his death we stayed up talking. He was optimistic, but I could sense the pain in his voice while he told me about the things his family was going through at the time. It was after midnight on a school night when we decided to go to bed. He had been drawing in a journal of mine, so I decided to see what he had been working on.
“Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder” was written out and decorated beautifully.
It was beautiful, not only because of the art he had created, but because of the heart he had created it with.
Most 14-year-old boys don’t have perspective like this, but Jon did.
This song was played at the funeral, and it was on repeat for months after. I hadn’t heard it in years, but the second I put it on, I went back to a very unique time in my life. I was thirteen, but I could no longer make sense of my world.
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I cannot believe it’s been 10 years. The memories of him will continue to live on in the mind and hearts in everyone that he touched. He was the most amazing person. Words cannot express how much I miss him.
Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing. Jon was so sweet and I will remember him forever.
My daughter Courtney is buried next to Jon and I remember him well. The song that I recall is
I can only Imagine. When his Dad went up to do the service, which I still find unimaginable,
he said, “Jon doesn’t have to imagine anymore”.
Time does pass very quickly and can’t wait to see them in Heaven.
Thanks for sharing.
Wanda Hild
Courtney’s Mom
Wow. I hadn’t heard that song in years and hearing it floods back memories. Such a wonderful young man and you are right in saying the world is a better place because he was here. Feels like yesterday we got the phone calls…10 years has gone so slow yet so fast.
“He lives, he just doesn’t live here”
Thank you for putting how I’m sure all us band kids feel into words we can’t all find.
After all these years I still remember you, Alycia, Nathan and your sister. You were so amazing and still missed