Archive for March, 2010
Goodbye, John, and Thank you.
I know my blog is usually about professional writing and learning about language. But tonight, I’m going to digress from my normal “professional” tone.
Tonight my family lost a dear friend, John Hunter. He was a man strong in his convictions, strong in his love for his Lord, strong in his love for his wife Hannah, his family, and his friends. He will be so missed by so many people, including me and my sons.
John was the first adult I met when I came to this new town. He was the first person to recognize my difficult home life at the time. John’s middle son, Ryan, was the first middle-schooler to befriend my oldest son, Jon. John was always there on back-to-school nights when I was afraid to go to my car by myself. He and Hannah were the rocks I leaned on when my son, Jon, was diagnosed with systemic lupus at the age of 14. They didn’t judge me, a divorced mother of two; they just hugged me, listened to me, and prayed for us.
It was John and Hannah who drove down to Dupont Hospital on Thanksgiving Day morning, when my son was finally being released after a three-week stay. They with their sons helped us check Jon out of the hospital and took my sons and me to a Thanksgiving Day dinner at John Harvard Brewhouse in Wilmington, Delaware. They sacrificed their family Thanksgiving to make sure my family had one.
That’s the kind of person I experienced in John — he was always thinking about the other person and how he could help them. He was an excellent role model for my two sons. When my youngest son, Stephen, stayed with John and Hannah and their boys, John made sure Stephen had a strong adult male mentor to look up to, follow, and learn from.
John Hunter helped me to laugh at myself, not take life so seriously. He always had a quip or little tease to throw out at me to lighten my mood. He and Hannah always sat down in their cozy living room to chat with me, sometimes for hours. They opened their home to me and my sons. Our sons are still close friends to this day.
I wanted to visit with John this past week and say “Thank you.” For whatever reasons, that meeting didn’t happen. Now, I can’t say it to John directly. But I can say my “Thank You, John” out here in cyberspace for others to read. Maybe someone reading this had their life touched by John’s caring and charity. I know a lot of people did.
In the midst of all John suffered these past five years, he was a rock for his family and friends. Up until his last week in this world, he was offering insights and lessons for my son, Stephen, when he visited with the Hunters every Monday night.
For the kindness, strength, and laughter John shared with my family and me, I will always be grateful.
God bless you, John.