Letter to Heaven

Dear Tom,

I just wanted to give you a little hello! I hope the missionary work with your bro is going great. I'm sure you are loving every minute of the work that you're doing.

I wanted to thank you for your amazing example, your kind friendship, and the many laughs we shared. Here are a few memories that have stayed with me off the top of my head and remembered from reading my old journals:

• Sitting in front of you in band at CVJH. I greatly admired your French horn skills, especially since the French horn is an instrument I've always wanted to play. I loved your wisecrack remarks about Mr. Halversen's lame jokes.
• Sitting next to you in Bro. Renstrom's class. I can't begin to count how many times we laughed at the randomness of that fellow, how many times we struggled not to laugh out loud at the randomness of that fellow, and how many times we tried to stay awake in class when that fellow turned the lights down for his Power Point presentations. But you always made Seminary "pretty honking fun." I missed you when you didn't come.
  
• An example of the randomocracy of Brother Renstrom's class (when he would be teaching and all of a sudden start talking to people in the class), straight from the journal: "[Today] Bro. Renstrom was kinda weird. He said, 'Tom, do you like sitting by Jewel?' He said, 'Sure.' Bro. Renstrom said, 'Well Jewel, you can put him down on your list of possible future dates. He gave a good answer. You are 16, aren't you Tom?' 'No.' I said, 'Neither am I,' but I don't think he heard me 'cause he said, 'Well, you can cross him off your list then!' What a weird conversation!"
  
• Asking you to Sadies in 2005 (I apparently didn't cross you off my list of possible future dates like Bro. Renstrom told me to!). I dropped off a shirt with my name in permanent marker and other letters jumbled around in washable marker at your door. I was a bit nervous to do so, especially since you have a clear window running down the side of your door. As I was about to ring the doorbell and run, BAM! Through the window I saw you jump from the top of the stairs down to the bottom of the stairs, and walk on right past the door. Boy, did you give me a scare! I waited a minute, rang, and fled. After I was done being scared and could laugh about it, I was very impressed with your jumping skills.
• You coming to my door with a bag of those chocolate gold coins, telling me you would go to Sadies with me. You also said you would have answered me back in a much cooler way: by writing "YES" in gasoline on my porch and lighting it on fire...but then you remembered my dad was a cop. Good call, good call. :)
  
• Going to Sadies with you! So fun!

(You stole Jeff's hat for this picture, remember? Ha ha!)

• Hearing of when you failed your road test with Mr. Downs and sharing that sadness and disappointment with you. He's a crazy old man, anyway. ;)
  
• Seeing your signature smile, head nod, and small little wave in the halls. You always waved when we passed--you didn't think you were too cool for me to breeze on by pretending you didn't see me. Thanks for that!
• The cool, fancy little flippy-twirl thing you did with your pen in your fingers. I remember watching you do it over and over, and I could never figure it out! I made up my own little pen twirl, but it wasn't even a smidgen as cool as yours.
• Your kindness, your goodness, your rambunctiousness, your craziness!
  

• Baking banana bread and taking it over to your house with Heather. You plopped right down on the porch and started munching away on it, and we sat down and chatted for a bit. I desperately hoped it wasn't too dry...I made it when I was a novice at making bread! If it was gross, I appreciate your kindness at saying it tasted good!
• Playing "spies." If I recall correctly, you were the only guy there at Julia's apartment that freezing and wet night. We wanted to be able to contact the members on our team as we ran around the neighborhood, so we all swapped numbers. You got about five girls' numbers that night, and you declared, "This is the best night of my life!"
  
• When you came to the tumbling gym for my birthday party. You could do amazing flips! I was too scared to try out the flips you showed me. I admired your fearlessness and daring.
• I admired you for your courage, strength, and bravery, in every aspect of your life and in every trial you faced. I'm so glad you were voted Most Inspirational Senior, for you were most inspirational to us all.
  

And now, Tom, I must wait for a while until I see you again. I won't forget you. We're singing a song in choir called, "Simple Gifts." I think of you every time we sing it. Perhaps if you're not too busy, you can come listen to us sing. I bet you already know the song anyway. Perhaps you could sing with us too, then the song would truly be angelic, and more lives would be touched through it.

Thank you for touching my life, Tom. Your spirit is truly great and noble one.

'Til we meet again, forever your friend--

Love,
Jewel

http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Sample/10_3791L.mp3

(Click this link to hear the song)

Simple Praise

For a canvas of colors, for a concert of sound;
for the unfolding seasons, the earth spinning round.
For the birth of each sunrise, for the sky set ablaze;
for these simple gifts, we give simple praise.

Simple praise for the Giver, and thanks to the One
who has given us breath and given His Son.
To the Giver of blessings for all of our days,
for these simple gifts, we give simple praise.

For the love of a mother, for the touch of a hand;
for the deeper emotions we can't understand.
For the lessons we learn from the trials we face;
for these simple gifts, we give simple praise.

The heart of the Giver, the hand of the One
from whom every blessing of living has come;
for measureless mercy and limitless grace,
for these simple gifts we give simple praise.

For a canvas of colors, for a concert of sound;
for the unfolding seasons, the earth spinning round.
For the birth of each sunrise, for the sky set ablaze;
for these simple gifts, we give simple praise.

Simple praise for the Giver, and thanks to the One
who has given us breath and given His Son.
To the Giver of blessings for all of our days,
for these simple gifts, we give simple praise;
for these simple gifts, we give simple praise.