My dear friend.

U will be in my heart forever ~ I shall never forget how you became a part of my extended family when I left Arizona, it was you. You gave me a new life, a positive outlook, knowledge, and always reminded me that I had the strength to create a new life for my boys ~ you sent me home to Chicago ~ thank you for fighting so hard to get me back home ~ thank you so much for fighting to keep me here ~

~ go play golf with Jonathan ~
Love you! Roger ~
~R.I.P.~
(my friend)

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

What would you do?

I received this from a little girl who isn't so little anymore, she is all grown up with children of her own, yep I used to babysit for her, she was my eldest boy's friend when we lived in Arizona. I watched her grown and grown she did. Into a beautiful woman, into a wonderful friend.

10 people I was to pass this to!

So I send it to all who read this I normally don't read these, but this struck a cord  thank you my friend for sending this to me

What would you do if your best friend died 
tomorrow and you never got to tell them how you felt I just wanted to say, even if I never talk 
to you again in my life, you are special 
to me and you have made a difference in 
my life.

I look up to you, respect 
you, and truly cherish you. 



Send this to all your friends, no matter how 
often you talk, or how close you are, 
and send it to the person who sent it to 
you. 



Let old friends know you haven't
forgotten them, and tell new
friends you never will.

Remember, everyone
 needs a friend; some day you might
feel like you have NO FRIENDS at all

Remember this and take comfort in knowing somebody out there cares about you
and always will..

In times of trouble

In times of need

If you are
feeling sad
You can count on me

I will give you a wink

Until you smile give you a hug

And stand by
your side.

I'll be there for you till the end, I'll always and forever, be your 
friend!




I had no idea that you could do this ~

Pardon me but I am a little behind lately - life has a tendency to get in the way.

8 months hit me hard - 8 months I cannot believe 8 month has passed almost 9 months now. Blindsided ~ smack me upside the head and took me down for the count.

I am still hear!

As I read Dr. Keller's blog the following post hit a nerve within me that has motivated me to ~ let's say WAKE-UP!

Blog entry ~ Friday, September 05, 2008

Regular folks can report drugs and doctors I was talking with the mother of an individual who died recently. As she mentioned, neither of them are young, but she reminded me of a statement I often reiterate, “Kids (no matter the age) shouldn’t die before their parents”.

Her son died of medication-related death, in that the prescribed medications he was taking likely complicated his underlying medical conditions (sleep apnea and heart disease) and the combination of those things led to his death. She wants to make sure it doesn’t happen to some other mother’s son. She has concerns about both the medications and her son’s doctor. In addition to our working with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation on cases we feel are egregious on the doctors’ part and with the DEA on drug (medication)-related deaths, I told her she too can file report/complaints.

She was unaware of this, despite some research on her own, so I thought I’d throw the information up here so that more folks would be aware:

Consumers (i.e. regular folks) can file reports on medications (problems and concerns) with the FDA Med Watch Program. The forms and instructions are available online.

Concerns about individual physician’s can be filed with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation (for some bizarre political reason actually the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. (Every state has their own variation of our state regulatory agency)

My spin on this post ~

I am beginning to believe that the "FRIENDS" of the children in our community that have died this past year have a story to tell.

What if they do KNOW the true story of what happened the night their "FRIEND" died. What secrets do they have inside that is burning a hole in their heart.
What are they afraid of? ~
What have they got to loose - Just another friend?

Think about it ~

"Talk to your Children hear them Speak"
~find out where the children an go to report any wrongdoing with out the fear of being called that 'rat' ~ It starts with you ~ the parent!

The Clock of Life ~

I dedicate this to you Kerry ~
I shall miss you dearly ~

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.

The present only is our own,
So Live, Love, toil with a will --
Place no faith in 'Tomorrow' --
For the clock may then be still.

Robert H. Smith
©1932-1982

Let's deal with the issue by changing the subject ~

"It isn't anyone's fault for something so bad to happen, but people should look into how they relate to another.

This is very real, as real as it gets I feel. It really is all about how you choose to act and be around the people we share this word with. Everyone's got emotions and feelings, and we can brush it off as naive, but when it comes down to it, these are the things we love about our friends, family, and so on.

Sometimes we get caught up in our own B.S. that we forget that how we act and choose to carry ourselves inadvertently affects those around us.

Whether we realize it or not, but we usually don't, that's the thing.

Sometimes we think time heals all wounds and actions will just wash away, but they don't.

Every action has a reaction, like the great Issac Newton said.

We all need to realize that our actions do have consequences.

I do my best to be good to people, and everyone should always keep that in mind as well. It's not the easiest thing to do, it's challenging, but anything that is truly rewarding usually is. As tough as times get, it's important to carry respect and live as though "God" is watching, or just for the simple fact that it feels better.

Let your conscious be your guide. We see others behaving badly or non-righteously and we can get caught up in it.

Like a fine line between sensitivity and truly hurt feelings, there is also between humor and disrespect.

Everyone deserves some form of respect, but don't let yourself be taken advantage of in the process."
"Be Righteous. Live Righteously."
"Peace, Love, and Happiness."

~Listen to him hear him speak ~
A note from one of Jon's good friends.

In good times & bad times, this is what Friends are for!

Dear Vonna,

My DH, will be just fine, it will just take a long time for him to recover.
YIKES!!!!!!!

I am so glad that you are taking a short trip to a warm place. I think it will do you good to be with people that you enjoy being with and that also enjoy the same thing as you do.

I understand what you are saying about family, but don't loose hope. They are big enough to take care of themselves especially when you need a break.

As you know everyone grieves differently; it will take a long time for the sting to decrease. Be around positive people that will encourage you.

I know that you miss Jon. He was a huge part of your life. It is a big hole in your heart that will never heal completely.

Your voice will be heard, if it doesn't happen the way you want, it may be in another way. You just don't know right now. Something good will come from this sad time.

Love ya,
anonymous!

I dedicate this to you my girl friends ~ So g/f's who is who! Laughing I am!

5 stages of Grief & my Dear Husband ~

1. Denial 2. Bargaining 3. Anger 4. Despair 5. Acceptance

Despair ~
I only pray that one day he will be able to move to another stage ~ he seems to be stuck!
When he is ready he will read ~

Posted by a friend the day our "son" left us ~ November 30, 2007

I am aware that there are already groups out for Jon, but both have improper spelling of his first and last name. I have created this group out of request by his little sister.
____
Jon will be missed by all, forgotten by none, and carried on through each one of us for the rest of our lives. He carried a huge place in a lot of people's hearts, and for that, we must be thankful. Not only has he helped us to learn the power of laughter in sorrowful times, but he has also taught us each to not take life for granted.

Jonathan was an unbelievable son, brother, and friend. He will forever be imprinted in our hearts, and may his soul be carried on forever through the memories we have of him.

Jon is in a better place, where it's safe and sound. He is looking down on each of us, and I know he wants us to all be strong. Jonathan fought until he couldn't fight any longer, and now he's resting in peace.

R.I.P. Jonny boy, we all love you.
Yes, we do love u~

Life

Life
Posted by a good friend -
I am back. I know it has been awhile and I said I was not coming back, but things change and I was really withdrawling from escaping from reality to let the conscious of my streaming thoughts take control. Just sit back and let the fingers do the work.

I am in my second professional semester in the education program and during one of my classes I learned something very important about myself. Our teacher had given us an assessment to discover what type of learner we are. I filled out the worksheet with a bunch of numbers that did not mean much to me until I found the end result. I am a blue divergent learner, which means I like to experience and feel. The summary of my learning style is that at home and work, blues are: try to influence others so they can lead more significant lives, like to persue interest and abilities in the arts, communications and education, like to help others, am adept at motivating and interacting with others, and look for and work toward harmonious relationships. As I read over these, I could not seem to stop my mind flow leading to him.

During the summer, I had gotten home to find a friend of mine's status on facebook and myspace with threatening messages of wanting to hurt himself. As a blue divergent, I care and even if I had not talked to this person in a few year or so, I could not let this slide. I am a caring person and it would rip me to shreads to know he would go through with something so heartwrenching and horrible. Without a thought in my mind, I wrote him a message and told him to call me if anything. Thank God, he took me up on my offer. His voice was soft and sad, and I will never forget his words of struggling and regret. He had upset his parents and he was disappointed in himself. I reassured him that things will get better and offered my night to him. I wanted to help put a smile on his face, I wanted him to feel better to know that someone out there cares about him, even a complete aquaintance that he had not talked to in years.

He asked for me to come over and without hesitating, I hopped in my car and I stayed on the phone with him. As I drove, I knew something was not right. He did not sound alright and that is when I pushed a little heavier on the peddle. I finally arrived and I parked and I found his mom and a friend in the garage. I was questioned what I was doing here and if I was here to bring anything for my friend. I reassured the family that I was here soley for support and because I care. That night his stepfather took him to the hospital. All summer, I waited and waited to get that phone call from him and to get that reassurance he was doing alright. During September, the call finally came. He was out of rehab and in a half way house. He was safe, and since he felt safe, I was relieved and felt safe myself. He moved home, and got a job. I was so proud of his efforts and I was starting to believe things were going alright with him. I guess I felt they were going well enough that I stopped letting myself monitor him. I wanted to save him. I knew that I tried, and I thought that I did it. I stopped calling so much because I felt that things for him were getting better and he didn't have to rely on me anymore. I felt like I was his savior. I went home during a weekend and was able to see that face that I longed to see for months. I spent time with him and I was so over joyed to be able to have this memory and moment in my life.

We talked occasionally but not as much as we had earlier because we both were becoming so busy with our own lives. I thought that this was good news. He called me during thanksgiving break and I told him that I would try my hardest to see him. Unfortunetley, I became too busy that I did not.

On November 30, 2007, I got a phone call and not one that I was expecting. It was an old friend that I had drifted from. She gave me the worst news that someone would never desire to receive. My dear friend, Jonathan McEachern, had passed. I forgot how bad I wished to save him and I failed. I know it is not my fault but I wish I made more of an effort. I can not live my life with the "what ifs" but this what if will forever be engraved in my head. Even though Jon and I were not the best of friends, we had an understanding of one another and we both knew that this friendship was on a great path toward the future.

I attended my first wake and it was one of the hardest things I had to deal with. People say that everything happens for a reason and when it comes to death it is so hard to find a reason. Since Jon left me, friends, family, I tried to search and find some type of positive. I found the positive of living my life the way Jon would have wanted me to. He encouraged me and was so proud of my education and made jokes about how I would be a teacher one day. I feel like I am not just doing this for me, but doing it for him. He made me proud and I know that I am trying so hard to make him proud of me. I try finding the positive in everything, in every part of my day and even at the end of the day I search for one positive aspect from my day. I am not taking anything, life, friends, family, or anything for granted. I want everyone to know how I feel. I want everyone to know how much I appreciate them, love them and care for them. I may not have been able to save Jon, but he saved me. He changed my life and it is so hard to put into words sometimes. I find myself re-evaluating my life and my relationships because of him, because of one soul, one person.

I will always miss you Jon. Our friendship did not end and your soul will never escape this world. You will never escape from my memory and my heart. I know you are still around and I hope that you will always be around to remind me that I have someone always looking after me. Thank you for changing my life, for making me a better person.

I love you and miss you.

Jonathan McEachern
December 26, 1986- November 30, 2007