Happy Birthday, Jono!

Jonathan Alma Hill.

Never did I ever know that that man would mean so much to me.
I met Jon in May of 2013. I went with my big brother to a bonfire. These were held quite frequently during the summer. There were always different people who came, but I loved going with my brother, sister and her family, and a couple of my best friends.
This bonfire only had a few people there. One of them was Jon, who was one of my brother's good friends. When I met him, I literally could not control my laughter. In fact, almost everyone there was a little embarrassed by me because I didn't even know him and I cracked up at almost everything that escaped his mouth! He and I immediately became friends, and saw each other a lot after that! In a very short time, he became one of my very very best friends.

Now, let me pause for a second and tell you a little about Jon. He was 28 years old. He was adopted by his wonderful parents and older sister. He recently reconnected with his birth family, and he loved them all so much. He served an LDS mission in Canada, and spoke 3 different languages. He was hilarious (as you saw above), and he had an incredible eye for photography. He saw such beauty in all that was around him. He had such a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and he was never afraid to share that. He always had a light in his eyes that was certainly unforgettable What an amazing man! He struggled with depression and anxiety and many other mental and physical problems. He also struggled with a severe drug problem. He had been clean for a long time, and was doing so well. He always told us that we (me and my friends) were his light, and always helped him to do the right thing. He wanted nothing more than to not have this problem, and did everything he could to get away from this Demon inside. He had a detox procedure done and also checked himself into a rehabilitation center, "Turning Point", for six weeks. He LOVED it there, and my best friend Zoey and I went to visit him every Sunday, the day he could have visitors. He was the happiest I have ever seen him when he was there. It was so relieving and amazing to see him so happy. Every second with Jon was a memorable moment.
Well, the day he was released from rehab, he overdosed. He was found unresponsive two days later.
This was the most devastating news of my life. I have never cried so hard. I have never felt so numb. All of the sudden, those memories were all I had left. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

 Our first photo together ("official best friend photo")

Our last text messages

Now, I don't mean for this post to be a depressing one, because Jon was everything but depressing! I want to dedicate this blog post to him for his birthday, November 20th, because I know I would not be where I am today without him and his influence in my life. I wouldn't be the same without his amazing testimony of the gospel. He is still with me, and I can feel him every day. I believe that he wanted me to share that he knew that his Father in Heaven loved him, and he loves each and every one of us perfectly. He wants me to share that he knows that he was not perfect, and neither are we. We are only human, but through the Atonement of Christ, we can all be saved and made perfect. We can not sink lower than the Atonement. Our God is a forgiving God, and He wants nothing more than for us to return to Him. I know that I am going to be able to see my Jono again, and that instead of seeing him suffering in all of the pains and trials he had to go through, he will "stand before us glorified and grand, breathtakingly perfect in body and mind. What a thrilling moment that will be! I do not know whether we will be happier for ourselves that we have witnessed such a miracle, or happier for (him) that (he is) fully perfect and finally 'free at last.'" (Jeffery R. Holland)

That day truly can not come soon enough. 

To say that Jon was an amazing man would be a complete understatement. Losing him was one of the hardest things that has happened to me, but in the eternal perspective, I have not lost him at all. He is still a best friend that I will surely see again, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be able to hug so him tightly and laugh with him again one day. I can't express how much I look forward to that day! 

I wish you the happiest of birthdays, Jonny Boy! Thank you for everything. I love you to the moon and back.

Love always, 

Your Heather :)