You were born around 5:30 am after a sleepless night (for me) at Lancaster General Hospital. At 9 1/2 pounds you were the biggest baby in the nursery! In my eyes, you were also the handsomest with your beautiful dark hair and big brown eyes. Dad and I were so proud of our second son and we called friends and family right away even though we knew we were probably waking them up!
We named you Jay Marlin after both grandfathers and brought you home and settled you in our little family which included Dad and me, and your older brother Shawn. You were a good baby but you had your demands. You thought it necessary to be picked up immediately after waking from a nap and would never consider waiting patiently until I had time to get to your crib. I remember that you also liked to hold my finger when you drank your bottle. When you got a little older, we would put you to bed with a bottle (I know parents aren't supposed to do that). We always knew when the bottle was empty because we would hear a thud which was you tossing the bottle against the wall. When you were even older, I would fill a bottle with milk and put it in the refrigerator before I went to bed. In the morning, you would hop out of bed, go out to the kitchen, open the refrigerator and get your bottle, come back to my room, crawl into bed with me and drink it!
You walked early and talked late. When you did begin to talk, we had a lot of trouble understanding what you were saying. We would say "what?" and you would repeat it louder and louder, but often we would just nod our heads and say "oh." You were smart enough to know that we didn't really understand and this frustrated you. You loved to play with your little farm toys and I remember you would line up all the tractors, combines, disks, rakes, corn planters and other machinery against the wall. Then you would point and say "see my bimpbimp." I couldn't figure out what you were saying so I would just nod and say "yes." You kept repeating "bimpbimp." One day I said, "are you saying equipment?" Your face just lit up and you were so happy that I finally understood what you had been trying to say.
You had energy plus and rarely stood or sat still. At mealtime you would contentedly shovel in your food all the while humming to yourself. You were always looking for new adventure and were convinced that you could do about anything. It always seemed like you were in a hurry to grow up and that you wanted to do things that you weren't quite capable of doing :)
You endured school but I certainly wouldn't say that you liked it. All that sitting and concentrating was hard for you! However, you rarely complained and you just accepted it as something you had to do. You made good friends and people genuinely liked to be around you. You were a little bolder then your siblings. I remember after your first day at LMH I asked you how it went and you said, "good," and proceeded to tell me about several people you had met and a little about them. I said, "how did you learn all that so quickly?" You responded, "Well, when I sat beside someone, I just asked them their name and went on from there!" You are much quicker to initiate conversation with strangers than the rest of your family is.
You accepted Christ as your Savior as a young teenager and it has been a privilege to watch you grow in your Christian walk as you matured into a fine young man. You participated in youth group, led Bible Studies, joined mission trips, and were active in the church, even preaching sermons occasionally! Your faith and commitment to Christ has been strong as you continue to share your passion for Jesus with others, including your family.
It was a happy day when you married Kristen. She has been a wonderful addition to our family. Together Dad and I have rejoiced with both of you in the birth of your precious children, Alexis, Lydia and Mark. You have allowed us to enter into this wonderful phase of life called grandparenting. Thank you. We love it!
I can't close without mentioning your special relationship with both of your grandfathers. I think it was meant to be that you carry their names because you have shown your love for both of them many times over. You have truly taken the time to get to know them and care about them. I know they appreciate(d) it and it was a true honor to you that my dad specifically requested that you share at his funeral.
I am so blessed to call you my son,
Love,
Mom
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