Updates to Green Braclet

Photos of Jessica's initial Ithaca experience can be seen by clicking on the below photo:

Jess @ Ithaca!

Yet more photos of Jess' Ithaca experience can be seen by clicking on the below photo:

Ithaca is Gorges

Green Bracelet

"So what does the green bracelet stand for?"

This is a question I have been asked many times since I have worn my DONATE LIFE bracelet every single day since John's wake. I wear it when I dress up, dress down, in the shower, in the pool, during a game, and when I sleep. I wear it as a reminder of the ultimate gift John was able to give to so many others. I wear it with pride for my big brother.

Nonetheless, just like most things in life, this one simple piece of green plastic gives me conflicting emotions. I am happy and proud of my brother's gift to numerous other human beings but I am sad that it was given at the ultimate sacrifice -- the fact that others are given years to spend with the ones they love but only because we all have to wait a lifetime to see John again. However, life is amazing.

As many of you know, I have recently started my life as a graduate student in Ithaca, New York. The first few days of class were full of ice breakers and story sharing in order to get to know my peers. One classmate asked me what my green bracelet stood for and when she found out, she showed me her right wrist that wore the exact same bracelet. She said proudly and thankfully that her father just received a lung transplant within the last year and she was so grateful that her father, who was an otherwise healthy man in his forties with a rare lung condition, was a successful transplant. Although he is still in the recovery phase, he has been able to enjoy life with his family again.

Although I did not explain to her John's story at that time, we had a chance to hang out the following night. I was able to explain to her and others who were listening all about John's tale of tragedy and delight. I was able to explain his passion for his family, his work, and his life. But the best part of all, I got to listen more about the impact that John, and everyone who donates organs to others, has on the organ recipients and those who love them. It is one thing to read in a letter about the the receiving patients and their appreciation; but it is much more rewarding to actually sit down and talk to a fellow female of the same age who experienced the actual joy and thrill of the life donation.

If life was not remarkable enough, the fellow student also applied to Springfield College, my other choice of graduate school. Although I was thinking it, she remarked that it must have been fate that we would meet at graduate school. So I end this surprising tale with one of my favorite quotes: "You may not end up where you thought you were going to be, but you always end up where you are meant to be."

More Running With John

Click here and here to see local press coverage of running with John.

Running With John

Of the many goals of this year, one of the boldest was the aspiration of John, Mike and Dad to together run the Marine Corps Marathon this November in Washington, DC. In preparation of this audacious goal, John, Mike and Dad had set out on a plan which included the running of a number of races between April and October 2007 in order to get into shape for the November marathon. Included was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge 10K in April and the Chaptico Classic 10K in August 2007 (Chaptico is a small village about 10 miles from where John's Mom & Dad live). It was, of course, not to be. Nonetheless, Mike and Dad have continued on in their own way. Mike perseveres in his goal to complete the marathon this November although Dad has conceded to reality and age and will not run this November

The Chaptico Classic 10K was held this weekend and pictures can be seen by clicking on the below photo:

Running With John

Of note, John and Dad ran the 10K and Jes participated in the 3 mile walk. The course was a figure eight, which is why you see photos of the runners Mike and Dad in the middle of this album. Mike finished first in his age category. It was a brutal day from the perspective of temperature and humidity (one of the hottest of the summer). Nonetheless, all experienced the fullness of the moment, to include John who, without a doubt, was there in spirit.

The first objective of the collective plan was to run the Bay Bridge 10K in April. Alas, that was not to be for a variety of reasons to include the fact that in that on race day, the race was canceled due to gale force winds on the Bay. Nonetheless, photos from that day can be seen by clicking on the below photo:

Running With John 2

Easy Rider

Continuing the sense of adventure that she and John shared, Alex took to the course a few weeks ago to learn how to ride a motorcycle. While she was able to maintain the bike upright (for the most part) without the benefit of training wheels, if you look close enough, I think you can see John riding on her shoulder.

Warmth and Comfort

To celebrate her upcoming birthday, the attainment of her recent permanent resident status, and as a symbol of our love, John's Mom & Dad presented Alex with a "work in progress" -- a quilt made, in part, from swatches of John's clothes. John's Mom and Jes cut out hearts and stars from some of John's clothes and then affixed them to pieces of quilt. With the assistance of her friend Teresa, who is an experienced quilt maker, John's Mom then sewed the various pieces together. After a little more effort, the "work in progress" will be passed off to a local Amish woman who will finish the process by adding batting material and a backing. Together with memories of John, we hope that this quilt gives Alex warmth and comfort. To see what the quilt looks like, click on the photo below.

Alex's Quilt

Touch of the Green

One of the many milestones that John and Alex were looking forward to this year was Alex becoming PERMANENT, a permanent resident that is. Although having lived in this country most of her life, Alex had never made it through all the bureaucratic hurdles to get her "Green Card." It's an arduous, time-consuming process, and for the last year of his life, John held Alex's hand through the sometimes frustrating delays. Although not anticipated for some months to come, Alex received her Green Card in the mail this past week. Loving all things Irish, we're certain that John's touch of the green continued to help shepherd Alex to attainment of this exciting milestone. Next time you toast John with a Guinness, be sure to offer a congratulatory toast to Alex as well. It's a significant accomplishment for both of them!

Corporal Repose

Dormant to look and touch
Withering under the relentless rays of heat and light
The once verdant expanses covers dreams and accomplishments
Serving as pretense to perpetual attention.

Yet an oasis of hope emerges
Nurtured by a mixture of joy and tears
Standing in defiance of tribulation
Yet another symbol of the gift of eternal love.

My Space

We think we should have posted this a long time ago. So much for us baby boomers keeping up with our children's generation.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=65624415

He Did It When He Could

Updated Below
This weekend we celebrated John's little sister's birthday. After a family barbecue at home, Jes' big brother, Mike, organized a pretty good celebration on the town on the waterfront in DC. All the usual suspects were there and a good time was had by all. And of course, John was there in memory and in spirit.

The memories, of course, are many -- but one of the strongest was of John helping his sister celebrate her birthday last year at this time. While Mike was fulfilling his duty in Arizona, being the good big brother he is, John and Alex took Jess and her friend out on the town in Solomon's Island to celebrate, with Dad tagging along as the DD. While the Tiki Bar is a world away from the DC Waterfront, John succeeded in showing his sister a good time, Southern Maryland style. And that memory is so typical of John -- whether spending time with family or fulfilling his dreams and commitments, John always did it when he could. No putting off, no waiting until next time or next year. John simply did it when he could, and thus was able to leave this world with something to which the rest of us can only aspire, NO REGRETS! Little did he know such a small thoughtful gesture would have such long lasting consequences. Thanks for the lesson, John. We all should learn it well.
Update
You can see the pictures of Jes' B-day on the town by clicking on the below picture:

Jes' B-day on the Town

I Want You All to Know

From: johnwilliam @heavensgate.god

Subject: Email from JW

I was sitting here in heaven and having a wonderful day.
I started thinking about you and all the things I didn't get a chance to say.
I don't want you to worry about me. And please don't shed any tears
because I will wait for you in heaven if it takes a hundred years.
Everything I had on earth I have in heaven too.
My first day here my body became brand new.
It is really pretty here and I love my new home.
Although your hearts are broken because my body is gone,
my love will always be there. As you go along the way,
just peek inside your heart. That is where I'll stay.
Know that I love my family and all my friends too.
My thoughts will be with each of you for all your whole life through.

John Came Home Today

At least that is how his brother put it after we packed up John's condo and brought his belongings to his parent's home today. The condo was a significant milestone in John's life and he was so very proud of finally owning his own home. Situated in Adams Morgan, John's place reflected the life style he so enjoyed. Best of all, it was within walking distance of Alex.

Although John had many strong points, financial management was not one of them, although he was getting better at it the last year of his life. After years of hesitation, John brought his condo at the height of the DC real estate bubble, December 2005. The bottom fell out of the market in January 2006, and its been falling ever since. "Buy high, sell low" was John's motto. However, none of this dissuaded him in his great plans to fix up the place in true John style. If planning could accomplish things in its own right, John could have refurbished his condo several times over!

Deciding what to do with John's place has been one of the many challenges his family has been dealing with over the past several months. On the one hand, since he was so proud of finally buying a place of his own, and had such great plans for it, all of us were tempted to somehow hold on to his condo. On the other hand, we also recognized that John was astute to recognize that his condo was just a stepping stone to even greater things in life, and when discussing his plans with his parents not too long ago, he commented that the condo would be too small for him and Alex once they were married.

That said, we recently decided the best course of action was to give up John's condo and we packed up his belongings this week and moved them out today. But none of his belongings will go unused. Many of them will be put into use at his parent's house, not as a shrine to John but rather as just another means for the personality and spirit of John to become known to others, especially his nieces and nephews to come, as well as others who will never have the pleasure of having known John in person, but will know him nonetheless through his brother and sister and Alex and his parents and other family members and so many of his friends. John's spirit lives on, as does the memory of his life and his dreams and his accomplishments. All of us will forever be on the lookout for opportunities to share John with others who did not have the joy of knowing him personally. John's tangible possessions, which reflected so well his personality (I've never seen so many computer cables in my life) will be just one means by which we achieve this. And we look forward to toasting John soon with his homemade beer!

John's Scholarship Fund

In addition to family and friends posting remembrances of John, one of the purposes of this blog is to keep everyone up to date with respect to the status of John's scholarship fund and plans for its use.

This fund has become a truly fitting tribute to John. To date, over $21,000.00 has been contributed and donations still arrive almost every week. Final plans have yet to be made as to how to apply the fund, as we anticipate that John himself will be able to contribute as the affairs of his estate are finalized in the months to come.

Depending upon the eventual size of the fund, at this point in time we anticipate looking for one or more opportunities to contribute to a computer lab or similar endeavor at an educational institution, preferably at the elementary school level. As we have always said, the objective is to help the "big geek" foster a lot of "little geeks" who share John's love of information technology.

For those interested, contributions can still be made to:

John William Leonard Memorial Scholarship Fund
c/o Bank of America
28250 Three Notch RD
Mechanicsville, MD 20659

Our sincere thanks to all those who have made contributions to date. They will prove to be yet one more way to continue John's legacy.

"Techie John"

Where In The World. . .

will the VT Gnome show up next?

Here he is in a New York garden.

Get your whimsical extension of JW's life at:

http://www.adamsfinegifts.com/IBS/SimpleCat/Product/asp/product-id/36597379.html

Will he be found in North Carolina? Virginia? Brussels?
Some undisclosed secure location in D.C.?

Bring one on your next trip to Machu Picchu!

Dear JW

Your mom and dad announced with glee
proud parents they were about to be
around the table the family sat
with joy and love, it was the place to be at

Your arrival on Father's Day was truly a gift
God reach out giving mom and dad's hearts a lift
four grandparents were promoted that day
and aunts and uncles anticipated games of play

As a young boy growing, mom and dad knew what was best
and soon with a brother and sister you were blessed
not just siblings, but life long soul mates
to share triumphs, disappointments and dates

JW, you embraced life to live, celebrate and share
if any one needed help or support, you were there
computers, music and travel gave you delight
fingers counted beers well into the night

But something was missing, soon to be found
when Alex arrived, your joy knew no bounds
you could go and climb ancient high peaks
but the power of your love for Alex would continue to speak

Your life long mission accomplished way too soon
meant God would claim you Holy Saturday afternoon
your family and friends struggle to understand
but we know in our hearts you are in God's hand

JW, we miss you, we love you...for evermore
until we meet again, as God's angel in heaven you SOAR!

Energy and Presence

The screen saver on the computer in our den loops a series of photos that speak to our life story. It seems that as I walk into our den, more often than not the image of John on Machu Picchu greets me and touches my heart with an awareness of his presence. For I believe that if God is everywhere and heaven is union with God, then John is here. His presence, his spirit, his energy is in our memories, our thoughts, our daily lives. This truth allows me to be comforted by the wholeness and holiness that he now enjoys.

When Ken and I have been flooded with memories, thoughts, and experiences of John’s energy these past three months, they are John saying to us, “Hey, remember . . . ?”

And we do remember . . .

When John would occasionally call us simply to connect with his aunt and uncle, and I (being the faithful daughter of my mother) in the back of my mind would wonder, “What’s wrong?”

When Ken and I got hopelessly lost trying to meet with John, and he told us to stay put and assured us that he would look for a befuddled pair on the side of the road. (Where were we, anyway — Maryland? Virginia? D.C.?)

That he asked me to be his sponsor at Confirmation. (Was that because I was the only one willing to fly to Belgium? Of course, it goes without saying, I would have gone anyway because it was also Miss Jes’s First Communion!)

The phone conversation asking his aunt if there was any clever way he could convince his father that Virginia Tech was a five-year school for ALL the best and the brightest! (I think John’s plan was to say that the computer ate his thesis!)

That the last time we were with John was in December visiting PaPa in the hospital. As we exchanged Christmas gifts right there, Ken and I were delighted that Miss Jes had finally reached the legal drinking age so that our gift to the Leonard kids could be a case of beer. (Alas, it was not a case of Guinness or of the wonderful Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier but a case of Smutty Nose, a microbrew from New Hampshire! So could someone please help them drink it? I think only wine gets better when left in the bottle to age.)

The timing of God’s gift to John of the fullness of life reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways, and our faith helps us believe that with God all things will work for the good.

But is there anything that we can know for sure?

This is what I know for sure:

That John is sitting at the heavenly banquet enjoying a drink with his Mammy, talking about their common enjoyment of things Irish.

That when he was met by the original holder of the moniker “John William,” they proudly shared stories of the son and the father who continue to bring honor to the name.

That John was greeted at Heaven’s gates by the whole communion of saints and was accompanied by all those who went before him to the throne of God.

And that when John saw the face of God, he recognized his mother and father.

John is blessed with aunts and uncles who have a diversity of talents and gifts. Mine happens to be theology (Wasn’t he thrilled with our Christmas AND Easter cards!), so we end this posting with this thought:

Pope John Paul II spoke of the family as a “school of love.” The pope taught that the family has four tasks: to form a community of interdependent persons, who would serve life, participate in the development of society and share in the life and mission of Christ. All who know John — or Bill or Clarice or Jes or Mike — have witnessed the lessons of love lived in the Leonard home. The self-gift and other-directedness that is true love is what has been and continues to be taught, caught, integrated, and shared in a mutual exchange of Grace. Blessed are we who are touched by this community of “A” students.

“You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials;
but this is so that your faith,
which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold,
may by its genuineness
lead to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears.”

— 1 Peter 1:6–7

AT and UK

Our first photo of John,

taken at Jes’s Baptism.

Our last photo of John,

taken August ’06 in his apartment
after Mike and John took AT and UK
out for Moroccan beer!

God Broke Our Hearts to Prove to Us He Only Takes the Best

You can reach JW at his new email address: johnwilliam@heavensgate.god

My email to JW is as follows:

Hi Johnny, how are you doing? I hear that God has you working on his computer. It crashed after all the shenanigans of Paris Hilton.

When I sit on your bench overlooking the water, I think of the good times we had together. Do you remember the time you came out to visit Mammy and me in Arizona? That was for two weeks in August 1987 when you were 10 years old.

Before homeland security, a young child could travel under the watchful eye of a flight attendant. Today they try to discourage that by charging 50 extra dollars. But that's beside the point. What I remember is the form we had to fill out:

Passengers name: J. Leonard

Name of person bringing passenger to airport: J. Leonard

Name of person picking passenger at destination: J. Leonard

There is always something to do at Sun City West. When we went to the sports center you went bowling, swimming and played the game room where there were ping-pong tables. We also went to the driving range at sunset golf course as well as a trip into Scottsdale for the Railroad Park and a picnic. We also took a trip into so called downtown Phoenix.

When it came time to fly home, we drove you to Sky Harbor International Airport. It can be called an international airport because it has flights to Mexico. We signed you over to the flight attendant. We waited until the plane took off before we would drive back home.

The plane was delayed in taking off for almost an hour due to mechanical trouble. Mammy and I would not leave the airport until we knew that you were up and away. On your first airplane flight flying alone, we were worried how you were doing. We asked the gate attendant to check on you. She came back and said you were playing cards with a fellow passenger. I hope you didn't take all his money. The plane finally took off and we returned to SCW with wonderful memories of your visit as our Number 1 Grandson.

Love, Papa

Flying High

In his love of life, John enjoyed an adventure, almost as much as he loved Alex. In pursuit of these passions, John and Alex had planned to go skydiving together this summer. Although it was not to be, Alex boldly took the leap the other week, jumping out of an otherwise perfectly functional airplane while it was several thousand feet in the air. She took yet another leap out of an airplane this past week, this time with her eyes open!

The Making & Dedication of a Memorial

... can be viewed on-line by clicking on the below photo.

The Making & Dedication of a Memorial

Photos of the Great Kickball Game

...can be found on-line by clicking on the below photo.

1st Annual John Kickball Game

Photos of John's 31st Birthday Tribute

...can be seen by clicking on the below photo.

JW's 31st B-day Tribute

More Remembrances of John

John's last year of his life was great in so many different ways. One of the most unique was his new found love of kickball. When John first told us that he had joined a kickball league that played on the Mall in Washington, we kidded him about taking up a sport that many people leave behind in the third grade. It was only later that we learned the true initial reason for joining was an excuse for John to get close to Alex. From that encounter last year, however, John found two loves; the first, of course, being Alex, but also a love of kickball -- not just for the sport but for the friendship, camaraderie and fun.

A remembrance of John is featured in his league's newsletter for April 12th which can be found at: http://www.playnakid.com/pdfs/WB041207.pdf.

Another remembrance can be found on one of his teammate's blog at: http://kickballinthecity.blogspot.com/2007/04/real-world-hits-kickballagain.html

If you know of any other remembrances of John on the web, let us know at johnnywehardlyknewye@gmail.com.

John Remembered

Bridget was a high school classmate of John's. Shortly after John's death, she posted a wonderful remembrance of John on her own blog. It can be found at: http://thearnoldfamily.typepad.com/the_arnold_family_blog/2007/04/goodbye_john.html

Requiem for John

A few years back we rediscovered on the Internet one of our favorite DJs from our early twenties. He is Vin Scelsa and can be heard on WFUV-FM in New York. Shortly after John's death, we somehow brought ourselves to listen to Vin's show from April 7th. It is an amazing show in that we look upon it as a fitting requiem for John, especially since part of it was recorded that Saturday afternoon. So many of the selections from that night captured the essence of John -- "Beautiful Dreamer," "Kind and Generous," "A Love Supreme," Glenn Gould playing Bach, Townes Van Zandt... Even the last songs of the show, all about trucks, were fitting. Growing up, John loved playing with trucks in the dirt road next to our home in New Jersey; he was about two-years-old at the time.

You can listen to the show in its entirety by clicking here. (Note: The show in its entirety is 4 hours long. Of particular note is the first and last 30 minute portions).

John's Ultimate Gift

On Easter Sunday, at 9:00 in the morning, we received a telephone call from the Washington Regional Transplant Consortium letting us know that our son, John William, was being taken into the operating room in order to have his organs removed for donation. We of course shed tears, tears of sorrow for our son but also tears of joy from the realization that on that glorious Easter Sunday morning there were a number of families experiencing gladness and relief due to the final gift from our son, the gift of life itself. Recently, we received a letter from the consortium informing us of the results of John's generosity. We'd like to share those results with John's friends and family.


John's heart was transplanted into a 57 year-old retired realtor. He is married, has four children, and two grandchildren. He was on the waiting list for three days prior to transplant. He suffered from Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC), a disease of unknown cause that results in an enlarged heart that does not pump properly. His transplant was a success, and he is in good condition. He is looking forward to returning to some of his favorite hobbies, which include cooking and telling stories to his grandchildren. He is very happy and grateful for this gift of life that John gave him.

John's liver and left kidney were both gifted to a 56 year-old married man who lives in Virginia. Prior to receiving his transplant, he suffered from a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) liver disease which is fatal. He was on dialysis for two weeks, and he was on the waiting list for five months. Although he suffered some minor setbacks, his transplant was a success. John's recipient enjoys spending time with his family doing leisure activities. He is very grateful for this second chance at life that John has given to him.

John's pancreas and right kidney was gifted to a 53 year-old woman. She is a retired Verizon employee who has one child and one grandchild. Prior to receiving these precious gifts, she suffered from diabetes. She was on dialysis for nine months, and on the waiting list for seven months. The transplant was a success and John's recipient is in good condition. She enjoys sewing and solving puzzles. She appreciates John's precious gifts.

Learn more at www.beadonor.org

John's 31st

Wednesday, June 20th would have been John's 31st birthday. John's family and friends commemorated John's special day that night in Georgetown -- much the same way John had celebrated the big 3-0 a year before -- of course John's parents were not there for the original and we all had to settle for John's spirit a year later -- but he was most definitely there in spirit as indicated in the below pictures.

John's 31st B-day Celebration & Memorial Dedication

A tribute to John's 31st birthday and the dedication of his memorial was held on June 23rd. It was celebrated in true John-style; it was John's Kegger, Part II. The highlight of the evening was a beer-cup kickball game. Also, John's memorial was dedicated in true John-style with Mom cracking a bottle of Guinness on the wall of the memorial. The memorial connects to John’s life in a number of ways. The garden consists of a precipice overlooking the bay – recreating as best as we can John’s favorite picture of himself on a mountain peak in Arizona last year. Also, central to the memorial is a bench, which will be under the shade of three cherry trees that are identical to those surrounding the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. One of John’s last days was spent lying with Alex under the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin while they were in full bloom. His memorial should forever bloom on the anniversary of his death. It is where one and all can come to pay tribute to John’s spirit.

Authors Wanted

If you'd like to be able to post memories and tributes to John as well as photos directly to this blog as an author (other than just posting comments to existing entries) please let us know by sending an email to johnnywehardlyknewye@gmail.com. Also, be sure to pass the url for this blog (http://johnnywehardlyknewye.blogspot.com/) to all of John's friends, co-workers, kickballers, flip cup teammates and any and all who love life the way John did.

Greetings

This blog is dedicated to our son, John William. We only learned that he had always wanted to be called "Johnny" after his death, which occurred much, much too soon, on April 7, 2007.

John was thirty years old, our eldest; born on Father’s Day in 1976 (he was our “bicentennial baby”). Michael and Jessica are his brother and sister. John was single but we take great solace in knowing that for the last year of his life he experienced the same depth of love that we have experienced for over 35 years. John’s fiancée is Alexandra (or Alex as she prefers). Alex was the love of John’s life – his soul mate, and we are joyful Alex has become a member of the family.

John lived life to the fullest – he genuinely enjoyed life. And as his brother observed, the last year of John’s life was his best – he had hit his stride. He loved his job, which often took him all over the world. He bought his first home. He, of course, met Alex and fell in love. And he continued to be an extraordinary son and thoughtful grandson to his Papa (his father’s father) as well as his Grandma (his mother’s mother).

This blog is dedicated to John's memory. This site is intended to allow John's family and friends to post whatever they would like to his memory. We will also use it to keep everyone informed as to the status of John's memorial scholarship fund. John loved information technology – it was his passion. With the fund, we hope to, as his brother says, help the big geek foster a lot of little geeks – young people like John who share his love for technology.