Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

Jonathan as he is today

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In 1981 our family was about to embark on one of the biggest adventures of our lives.There was a big recession beginning and people were losing their jobs and homes and moving across the country to try and find work. Before the economic news turned bad, Bern and I had decided, early in the year, that he should leave his job with the Navigators, where he had worked since coming to the US in 1973. We felt God was leading us out of the Christian bubble and into the "real" world and a greater dependency upon Himself. We were pleased to rise to that challenge, not realizing what a daily and hourly test of our faith it was going to become. No one knew how deep the recession was going to go at that time.

Bern went to a job he had been offered in a friend's company and within in two months we knew that was not going to work. That experience filled our summer months. In the fall he started to look for jobs in California and we sold our house to make ourselves more mobile. We banked the proceeds from the sale and were able to rent the house back from the buyer who had bought it to keep as a rental property. At that time interest rates were soaring so we put the our money into a Money Market account and were able to use the interest from it each month to meet our expenses. Bern began looking into the possibilities of supporting us as a free-lance writer (something he actually managed to do for the next two years).

As winter approached, we decided to relax and wait for our new baby who was due around Thanksgiving time. This was our third child and I fully expected it would be a boy.

We discussed names and settled on Jonathan Vernon,

Jonathan meaning Gift from God and Vernon honoring my father.

November 22 we called a friend to come and pick up Matthew and Andrew and we went to the hospital, praying all the way and thanking God for the gift we were about to receive. At 11:19 p.m. our newest little boy came into the world and I said,

"Thank you God! His name is Jonathan Vernon."

He was beautiful! He was probably the prettiest baby boy ever born.

Our "baby holiday" lasted through Christmas and I can hardly express the joy we all had in Jonathan during the long winter that followed his birth. I nicknamed him "Jonathan Joy" and used to whisper that name into his ear over and over, making him smile and laugh. He was a cuddler, with the most appealing smile when he wanted or needed something. Because it was winter in Colorado, he was usually bundled up like a little bear. He always wanted to be in the middle of whatever his busy older brothers were doing. He quickly mastered holding toys and became fascinated with putting things together.

This is how life started for Jonathan. He was eagerly welcomed into a home where his brothers, mom and dad were constantly present for the first two years of his life. Those early years were scary because of the pressure of work and worries about money, but they were also wonderful for all of us as we met life's challenges together. God used the time to teach us how to live by faith.

Now Jonathan is all grown up, married and a dad himself. 27 years have passed and he has continued to be a great joy to his family. There is so much I could say about his life and his accomplishments, his faith and how much I admire his walk with God, but here is what I will boil it down to:

Jonathan, I am so glad that you were born and that God gave me the privilege of being your mother. You have ALWAYS made me proud, but never more than right now. You are a wonderful disciple and servant of Christ, a loving and faithful husband and a delighted daddy of a beautiful baby girl. Congratulations on making the most of this life the Lord is giving you!

Happy Birthday to you!

I love you!!!

Mom

PS...Kristin, I thank God for you and what you have brought into our son's life. You are the best thing that ever happened to him! You exceed all of our hopes and dreams for our son.

Bless you...we love you.