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This summer I’ve focused on spending time with my family - so I've been relatively quiet here. I'm not done with writing, though. I just needed a minute.

I don’t visit my son’s place of rest every day like I used to, but I visit him in my heart each day.

Tonight, as I visited Mitch, I felt a gentle peace and deep love for a little guy who turned my life upside down but right side up. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, it simply means I’m learning to hold hurt, hope, and healing at the same time. And that blend of contrast is like a potpourri of the most sacred aroma.

I’ve been doing something special this summer in memory of Mitch and in celebration of my family. I’ll share that soon. It's been part of my personal journey of intentional healing.

As summer draws to an end, I can sense cooler days ahead. There’s something invigorating about change. Like little Mitch, I’ve grown to love each season for what they are and not complain about what they’re not. In quiet ways, I've grown to appreciate the contrasts of life and those contrasts have become my deep teacher. Summers are never so sweet but when we know its contrast from the coldest winter.

In like manner, I’m grateful for the summer moments of life. I’m grateful for the times life gives us a break so we can rest, heal, and find new strength. Even still, I wonder when the next winter storm will come. I hope it’s yet a few years off, for the warmth of the summer sun has been so kind to my soul.

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About a month ago, on the anniversary of Mitchell’s passing, I sat next to my father-in-law, who wanted to meet briefly to offer his love. The atmosphere that day was almost identical to the day of my son’s passing – unusually warm, bright, and sunny. Ironic for the day that ushered in the darkest time of my life.

I never really grew up with a stable father-figure, so I often find myself quick to observe others. It’s become my quiet nature to watch other men show up as fathers, then I instinctively ask myself, “Is this what a father does? Is this what it looks like?”

In a way, my father-in-law has the presence of a butterfly. It’s beautiful, but all-too-fleeting. Sometimes I wish he’d linger a little longer – for life is so short and one day, all too soon, it will be over. We only live on this planet for 5 minutes and I’m learning to savor every second. I think, in a way, he tries to stay out of the way of our young family as we try to forge our own path. I respect that. Whatever his reasons, I’m deeply grateful for this good man and father; firstly, for bringing my sweet wife into this world, and for being such a loving grandfather to my children. His gentle and reaching ways always helped Mitch feel loved, seen, and heard. I could write a book on their sweet exchanges and the lessons this good man taught me.

We went to lunch briefly, then parted ways. Natalie and I were grateful for the moments we shared with her parents that day. On the anniversary of my life’s greatest trauma, my mind was quiet, my soul was at peace.

One of the recurring themes of Mitchell’s Journey is being still and learning to live in the moment. I’m not always good at it, but I am getting better. Today, in another place where I’m trying to serve people, I wrote of stillness and quieting our mind, “A quiet mind is an empowered mind. When fear and other blinding emotions are set aside, we give rise to our intuition.” I then asked the group how intuition has served them. One woman responded, “Learning to be still and quiet your mind after a lifetime of fear is unbelievably hard.” She then shared breadcrumbs that pointed to trying to cope with pain while not hurting herself or others. She asked, “What suggestions or baby steps do you have for anyone and everyone?”

This was my response:

Arriving at a place of stillness is challenging enough for people dealing with day-to-day distractions. It's especially challenging to do after someone has experienced protracted trauma. Finding peace and stillness while trying to cope with a storm of unrest that lies within is a tall order.

As a student of trauma and grief myself, I've discovered at least 4 things that have helped me quiet my mind and achieve stillness. I hope this is helpful:

STEP ONE: BE PATIENT, HEALING HURTS

Finding stillness seems like a distant dream when we're in pain. The very suggestion sounds impossible, even patently absurd. Understanding healing hurts and learning to be patient with ourselves while sorting through our pain is the first step. When we accept the idea healing hurts and give ourselves a little grace as we sort it out, we take the first and vital step toward stillness and peace. Pain is no longer a surprise, but something to be expected.

STEP TWO: HEALING BEGINS WITH FEELING

Though it sounds like step one, this second step is as distinct as fire is from water. Knowing that something hurts and allowing ourselves to hurt are very different indeed.

I've discovered that scheduling time to grieve and release emotion is a healthy practice and that it always leads to a measure of stillness and peace in the end. Allowing ourselves to experience "all the feels" is vital to our emotional and spiritual health. Running from or suppressing pain can alter our thinking in ways that harm ourselves and others. Letting pain course through us can be terrifying at first, but it is necessary if we're to do the deep work of healing. Processing pain can feel like a forceful sneeze; as we breathe in deeply, then let it out, we feel much better on the other side. Put simply, we cannot heal what we don't allow ourselves to feel.

STEP THREE: SEARCH FOR MEANING AND PURPOSE

The very suggestion that we search for meaning and purpose in our pain may sound like a trite slogan; however, it can be a powerful tool to discover deep stillness and peace.

When it comes to pain (or anything, really), the key is to not ask, "why me?" but rather, "what can I learn from this?" When we examine our struggles with the intent to learn and understand, we begin to see pain as our teacher, not our tormentor. This shift in how we see things can be a great source of understanding and understanding leads to peace, peace to stillness.

STEP FOUR: PRACTICE MAKES …

Perfect? Not always. But practice has the power to make things permanent. If we practice allowing ourselves to feel and to search for understanding, stillness will eventually come. It takes time, but if we practice, we can build a kind of emotional muscle memory that can take us through pain more quickly and to peace and stillness more readily.

Each day I’m learning the deep relationship between peace and quiet and how they contribute to healing.

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A few years ago our extended family went on a group vacation.  It was a time of great excitement as distant cousins reunited and family bonds strengthened.  Mitchell always felt awkward and shy around others because his muscles were weak and he didn't have the strength to do what everyone else could.  He often sat in the background as a spectator – never wanting to impose his needs or wants on others – even though he would have done anything to be recognized and to participate.  More often than I want to remember I observed people look over him as if he were invisible. It is for this very reason this photo means so much to me. 

“This summer we will see a lineup of long-awaited superhero movies.  Each story selling the idea superhuman strength, epic battles, men (and women) dripping of brawn and testosterone are heroes.  But the real heroes of life aren’t laden with technology or smothered in dirt from far-off fields.  Real heroes are almost invisible to the eye and most often discerned by the heart.  They are among us living the lives of ordinary people.  They are the ones who take the time to love and serve others: to give a stranger a friendly smile or a compliment, a compassionate ear, or some anonymous act of service.  They are people who love and give freely with no thought of remuneration … whose only payment is the internal satisfaction they did good by being good.”

— Christopher M. Jones | Mitchell's Journey

 While at the airport an uncle reached down to invisible Mitch and placed him on his shoulders.  Together they flew down the concourse … arms open and soaring like a bird.  His uncle didn't care that other adults, strangers to him, could see and hear them. He didn't pretend to be so important or busy with adult things that he couldn't break decorum and be bothered with a child.  Only loved mattered.  And that is what he gave Mitch, in abundance.  Mitchie smiled and laughed and my heart exploded into a million pieces of love and appreciation.  For a moment, Mitchell was free … he was powerful.  For a moment Mitchell felt like a superhero.  As I sat back and watched this great man love my boy I shed tears of gratitude.

 Two [almost invisible] years later our little boy would die.  And all that Mitch hoped to do and become died with him. 

As his father I wanted so badly to put my superhero cape on and save my son.  After all, he thought I was a superhero ... but I was only mortal and I agonized that I couldn't save my little boy.  As it turned out, my little son was a superhero to me.  

This summer we will see a lineup of long-awaited superhero movies.  Each story selling the idea superhuman strength, epic battles, men (and women) dripping of brawn and testosterone are heroes.  But the real heroes of life aren't laden with technology or smothered in dirt from far-off fields.  Real heroes are almost invisible to the eye and most often discerned by the heart.  They are among us living the lives of ordinary people.  They are the ones who take the time to love and serve others: to give a stranger a friendly smile or a compliment, a compassionate ear, or some anonymous act of service.  They are people who love and give freely with no thought of remuneration … whose only payment is the internal satisfaction they did good by being good.

Mitchell’s Journey has revealed many superheroes that were hiding in plain sight – all across the world.  Many of you are superheroes to my son (and my family) because you reached out and loved him … and he felt your love and concern when the world became very dark and very lonely.  It’s one thing to love someone you know; but to love a stranger, that’s divine.

In every way that matters my little son … who hardly had the muscle strength to stretch out his arms … is my superhero. Despite his failing body he kept fighting with a smile on his face, hope in his heart and love in his soul. 

Mitchell taught me that to be a superhero has nothing to do with physical strength at all – but everything to do with heart.  While Mitchell lost his mortal battle, he has won the battle of the soul.

Originally Posted April 22, 2013

(Just a few months after Mitch passed away)

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I had lunch with an old friend recently and he shared a sacred moment he had during a time of deep personal struggle. I grabbed a napkin and quickly wrote his words down. He said, “I wept because I knew it wouldn’t last.” I was struck by the haunting truth of those words. Indeed, moments never last. Health and youthful beauty fade, over time. Even life doesn’t last. If my son’s journey through life and death has taught me anything, it’s that virtually everything ends, in the end. At the same time, I’ve discovered some things are forever.

“... life doesn’t need to be perfect to be beautiful - and even in our sorrow, we can find deep joy.”

— Christopher M. Jones | Mitchell's Journey

This photo was taken during my Camelot years. Life was kind and my cup was running over in so many ways. Even still, I was a conscientious photo-taker because in my heart, I knew deep down nothing would last – that everything was changing. I realized early that photos would become my time machine. My journal. My compass.

On this day, young Mitch and Ethan were walking out of a movie theater giggling about the movie they just saw. I couldn’t help but capture this brotherly moment. I loved listening to their young minds at work. They were so funny, and they reminded me the world can still be innocent and kind. At this point in his life, Mitch had enough muscle strength to walk to the car, which was parked nearby, but he couldn’t go much further than that.

The way Mitch walked seemed almost ordinary to the layperson; but to those who knew DMD, his way of walking was unmistakable … a kind of flashing neon sign signaling the biological catastrophe that was slowly unfolding in his body.

When I look at this image, I can almost hear my boys giggling. I’m grateful for photos like this because I get to go back in time … to moments like this. I get to say to myself, “I’m grateful my children happened.”

About a month ago I had a heartfelt conversation with Ethan, who is almost 19 years old. He looks nothing like does in this photo; his boyish features have all but faded and given way to the likeness of a grown man. Over the last few years, Ethan has grown into a stalwart soul who is deep, insightful, talented, kind-hearted, and in search of meaning and purpose. I am so proud of him – not because of what appears on the outside, but for what lives inside.

As we sat on the couch, he began opening his heart to me. I could tell he wanted to talk. I sensed grief was just beneath the surface of his soft smile. I asked him, “What’s on your mind, son?” Then, his eyes welled, his voice cracked – and the flood gates opened. He told me how much he missed Mitch – even after all these years. I was reminded of the tender bond these brothers shared. They were the best of friends – and that is a space I hold sacred and with a reverent heart.

While part of Ethan ached to have some do-overs with Mitch– more importantly, he wanted his life and future to matter. Deep down, he wanted to honor his brother’s short life by the way he lived his. Ethan’s emotions were a mixture of looking back, being present, and thinking about his future. Just as it should be.

As I listened to Ethan’s searching heart, I was reminded that some things are forever. The love between siblings can be one of them. I am sure during Ethan’s final hours, many years from now, long after I’m gone ... when old age has taken its toll, he will look back on his life and still remember his brother with fondness.

That is one thing I admire about Ethan; he’s not bitter that his brother was taken from him – but instead, he’s grateful their lives were woven together – even if only for a short season. He's discovered life doesn't need to be perfect to be beautiful - and even in our sorrow, we can find deep joy.