Goodbyes
At Joshua's Memorial Service, goodbyes from his mom, his
father, his aunt, and me, his sister, were read. Joshua gave us
all the strength to stay composed and read some of our
fondest memories and thoughts about him. I made a memory
folder for his service and placed a prayer inside it.

A Prayer for Joshua

I have to ask you several questions right away,
I can’t wait to hear from you, so send your answers today.

Have you hugged him and held him ever so tightly?
Have you told him how much we loved him?
Have you let him see us?
Have you let him hear our voices cry out for him?
Have you told him that we aren’t mad at him?

Oh, God, please hold him with all your might.
Wrap your arms around him and kiss his cheek just like mom did every night.

Let him sing his heart out.
He loved to sing those old Hymns.

Let him dance.
He loved when mom would grab his hands and dance with him.

And God, I have one last request.

Let Josh know that his time on earth was precious
Tell him how many hearts ache to hold him.
Tell him that he was mom’s strength and she will always have his heart with
her.
He doesn’t have to worry about mom because she knows he’s in Heaven.
He always worried about her.

And, a special message just from me to Josh,
“Big brother, you were the absolute best to me. Sweetie, I loved you and I
need you, but I know your work for God is important. You are a good worker,
and I know God will be so proud of you. Every night, I’ll talk to you through
God, so please listen for my voice and please hold me, hold me with all your
might.”
                                                         Always My Big Brother        

When I first met Joshua, I could feel that he would be my hero forever. Growing up, he was my protector.
He would let me crawl in his bed when I was scared. He would let me boss him around, so I could feel
important. He would play whatever game I wanted to play, just so he didn’t have to hear me whine. One
thing he would never do was let me win. He loved to see me pout if I’d lose a game. “I’m just quitting,” I’d
say. “Now Jess don’t be a quitter,” Josh would respond. Josh wasn’t a quitter; Josh was a fighter. He was
the best big brother.

 As we grew older, he became even more of a protector. He would worry about mom and me all the time.
We would call ourselves the three musketeers. You couldn’t just find one of us—Josh, mom, and I were
always together, whether we were getting in trouble, or whether we were laughing really loudly, together
always.

 Josh is my heart. He could make me smile when no one else could. He bought me maze for my key chain
when I went to college, and he wrote me a note that said: “Jess, be strong. Remember to pray. And know
that I love you.” He would buy me vitamins all the time; he wanted to make sure I was healthy. I kept Josh’s
secrets and he kept mine. If I was mad about anything, Josh wanted to fix it. If someone ever hurt my
feelings, Josh wanted to know who so he could take care of it.
My brother was a giver and a true inspiration to all of us. Josh traveled many different paths. God had lots
of plans for Joshua. And I thank God that last year; Josh’s path was to move to Maryland with my mom. My
mom and him did everything together this past year. They ate lots of food, watched lots of movies, hugged
each other, tickled each other, saw D.C. together.

Thank you God for giving Josh to my mom and all of us. Keep him close by you in Heaven and welcome
him home in your arms.
                                                                I Love you always
                                                                    Your sister,
                                                                       Jessica Lynn
Close your eyes and think of Dennis the Menace—the little boy with blonde hair who loved to play practical
jokes and had an infectious smile.  Joshua liked being a jokester—not to be mean, but because he loved
to laugh and make others laugh.  His favorite target was his Grandpa!!! Joshua was so passionate about
everything he did—he gave it his all.  He had a passion for Subway’s seafood and crab sandwiches, for
Dukes of Hazard and Poltergeist movies.  He loved me coming to Debbie’s house at midnight with taco bell
and keeping me up all night talking.  He loved He-Man, Boy Scouts and motorcycles.  These are the things
that when I think of Josh I will remember.

I’d like to share a poem by N. Taylor:  “Goodbye”

The church is full of people
Who have come to say goodbye
But no one wants to see you go
And we’re all left asking why
In our pain and tears we share
A heartache that cannot heal
But in our minds we will keep
Memories no one can steal
We all can feel your hand in ours
And see your loving face
You haven’t gone I feel you here
A love I can’t replace
You meant so much to each of us
And in our hearts you’ll always be
I hope you can see how precious you were
To them, to us, to me.

I love and miss you dearly, Josh.
                                                                                             ~Aunt Michelle