John was my nephew. He carried the rings his uncle and I exchanged at our wedding. He was handsome, brilliant, loving, sarcastic, and loved for so many reasons. It’s so hard to say good bye to those who cannot overcome their addictions and leave behind so much hurt and pain. Especially when they’re too young to go. I’m appreciative of the fact that you attended this ritual and that he wasn’t alone. I truly hope he is finally sober, spending the here after with his father, his uncle, and his grandmother, all of whom could not get past their addictions either. I’m not a praying woman but I pray that this cycle of addiction stops with him. May he rest in the sweetest peace.
Thank you so much for writing. I knew John and all those who cared for him. I really wanted folks to feel like his life mattered to a lot of people, even to people like me who barely knew him. I heard he is finally back in Boston.
John was my brother, we were born 17 months apart. We had many years together before he moved half way around the world. He wasn’t always the easiest person to get along with and I was often his target. But I loved him, he was my little brother. He inherited his intelligence and his demons from our Dad and it made me sad that he knew that too. I think it kept him from letting anyone get too close. We always stayed in touch but he didn’t talk much about his life in Japan and It makes me happy to know that he meant something to so many. Thank you for writing this.
I hadn’t seen cousin John in person for over 10 years. We FaceTimed each other more regularly within the past three years, something I’m grateful for having in his physical absence. A lot of his family felt John’s urge to come back stateside and to be closer to family, as well as some growing despair that weighed his soul, but there was something holding him back. He told me it was largely financial and logistic concerns for getting back since it would be too expensive to get his bumping sound system amongst other electronics to Boston, but there was more to it. Some of it I know is the trauma that he left behind, some of it is his love for a culture that has given him so much healing, and some of it will just be conjecture. Knowing that he had kindred spirits like you and his other friends in Japan to guide him into the afterlife and to soothe his soul brings me some peace. Thank you profoundly for what you’ve done for him and for writing such a great piece, it’s something Ill definitely treasure.
And I’m sure he was trying to keep his morbid humor to himself just like you all were. I’m sure it runs in our genes.
John was my nephew. He carried the rings his uncle and I exchanged at our wedding. He was handsome, brilliant, loving, sarcastic, and loved for so many reasons. It’s so hard to say good bye to those who cannot overcome their addictions and leave behind so much hurt and pain. Especially when they’re too young to go. I’m appreciative of the fact that you attended this ritual and that he wasn’t alone. I truly hope he is finally sober, spending the here after with his father, his uncle, and his grandmother, all of whom could not get past their addictions either. I’m not a praying woman but I pray that this cycle of addiction stops with him. May he rest in the sweetest peace.
Thank you so much for writing. I knew John and all those who cared for him. I really wanted folks to feel like his life mattered to a lot of people, even to people like me who barely knew him. I heard he is finally back in Boston.
John was my brother, we were born 17 months apart. We had many years together before he moved half way around the world. He wasn’t always the easiest person to get along with and I was often his target. But I loved him, he was my little brother. He inherited his intelligence and his demons from our Dad and it made me sad that he knew that too. I think it kept him from letting anyone get too close. We always stayed in touch but he didn’t talk much about his life in Japan and It makes me happy to know that he meant something to so many. Thank you for writing this.
I hadn’t seen cousin John in person for over 10 years. We FaceTimed each other more regularly within the past three years, something I’m grateful for having in his physical absence. A lot of his family felt John’s urge to come back stateside and to be closer to family, as well as some growing despair that weighed his soul, but there was something holding him back. He told me it was largely financial and logistic concerns for getting back since it would be too expensive to get his bumping sound system amongst other electronics to Boston, but there was more to it. Some of it I know is the trauma that he left behind, some of it is his love for a culture that has given him so much healing, and some of it will just be conjecture. Knowing that he had kindred spirits like you and his other friends in Japan to guide him into the afterlife and to soothe his soul brings me some peace. Thank you profoundly for what you’ve done for him and for writing such a great piece, it’s something Ill definitely treasure.
And I’m sure he was trying to keep his morbid humor to himself just like you all were. I’m sure it runs in our genes.
I’m so glad I could share something that could bring healing for you, friends and family.
At our age, ten years flies by so fast. It could have been yesterday. If only I could remember!