seventeen

forever seventeen

today would've been the 30th birthday of a dear friend of mine (and many) that died in a tragic hiking accident when i was in high school. he was seventeen.

this incident shaped my life in several different ways.  first off, i am still friends with many of the same people that i went to high school with that also went through this tragic ordeal. we all remain very close and although a lot of us don’t talk everyday (who has time for that?) , we all have a deep respect and love for each other that i know will never be broken.  secondly, i married his best friend.  yes, butch was his best friend and the three of us hung out a lot during our high school years. i’m not sure if jon would be pissed or happy about this…but i hope it would be the latter. thirdly, eleven years later on the exact day that he died…our daughter was born. (cue spooky music) although we will never know why this tragedy had to happen…i am convinced it did have to happen for some reason. i also know that my life would probably be much different today in a lot of ways, had it not occurred. it also taught me that ever important lesson of 'life is short' and to 'live everyday to the fullest'..that you almost have to learn when someone is ripped from your life too soon. 

prom 1999

one of the things i miss most about jon is his sense of humor. (the kid was funny as hell.) he was also was very sarcastic, had a roguish smile…and was my first love.  i know that jon meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people…and i also know that he is still thought about and missed by lots of different people. so on today, what would’ve been his 30^th birthday, i will be raising my glass (as you probably are, if you had the opportunity to know him) to a guy i once knew who will forever be seventeen, but will certainly never be forgotten...