Oh Jon, I so wanted to watch you journey through a much longer life: to see you marry the woman God chose for you, to hold your children, to celebrate your destiny and life’s work, to laugh together with our seemingly amazing sense of humor, to enjoy our relationship as father & son also became close friends.
Jon, I would have gladly traded my life to preserve your life here on earth.
There’s a photograph of you in my arms at the hospital the day you were born. I imagine myself saying something like: “Hi there, Jonathan Matthew Dailey, welcome to our family…you’re our little guy, and we love you!” We were so glad you were born after such a precarious pregnancy and birthing. I never, ever thought I would also be the one to deal with the details of your death, and as such a young man – I thought you, your brother and sister together would be here to mourn my death.
Jon, I cherish the memory of sitting at the piano, with you standing by my side playing your violin! We played together for hundreds of hours, reading from the same music stand, practicing your audition material and pieces for performance. I think my favorites to play were the many tunes I charted for the two of us, chosen because of how much we both loved the music.
I’m so thankful for those last few days we enjoyed in Boston together at the end of September: walking and driving all around the city, laughing, eating, cooking, talking about 2012 and pondering the future, praying together, going to the studio, listening to music, watching a movie, discussing books, pondering dreams – I’ll treasure that visit for the rest of my life.
Thank you, dear Bruce, for sharing the deep love of your baby boy. All of Jon’s life we watched Jon -all of your children- thriving in the fertile soil of committed love, principled living, glorious music, constant laughter, education through books & travel & friendships, and continual bonding. His pictures portray his contentment and joy in his relationships with each of you. We feel privileged to have known this gentle, funny, kind young man and fully realize that these qualities were carefully nurtured by adoring parents. We love each of you and will rejoice in the resurrection that will reunite with no separation.
Made me cry. God bless you; you will be reunited in heaven with your son one day along with the rest of your family. I am glad you have special memories of your visit with Jon.
In behalf of Bruce and Donna and their universe-wide love of Jon:
(by e. e. cummings)
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
Remembering Jon tonight, Bruce and Donna. It started as I was thinking about “Beautiful Nature.” Then, to come here and read your words written to him, feels like such an immense gift. To hear the tender love of a good dad speaking to a good son is about as close to heaven as it gets. Until the day we see our Lord face to face, we’ll bear the mystery of this loss together.