things to remember him by

back in november, i blogged a little bit about some keepsakes i wanted to either buy or make in memory of jonathan.  specifically, you might remember the opal and 8 tiny diamonds that my mother had offered to me before he was born to make an original jewelry piece in memory of him.  and that, "coincidentally", jonathan's birthstone happens to be an opal and he was born on the 8th.

recently, i realized that i had never posted pictures of the keepsakes that have been given to me since jonathan's passing.  and because this is jonathan's baby journal, the pictures belong here...

the opal, diamond, and white gold necklace from my mother

friends gave us jonathan's name, in scripture verses

a friend gave me this lucinda kay "peas in a pod" necklace, symbolizing both of my children

two of my friends gave me this helen ficalora necklace with engraved silver charms

tiny footprints inside the cover of my bible...my favorite.

we were also given several beautifully handmade or embroidered blankets, framed art with scripture, and several christmas ornaments that mean a lot to us. 

so as i was thinking about what these keepsakes mean to me, (and what i wouldn't give up to have jonathan back, happy and healthy) i realized that there was a greater, more valuable keepsake from our journey with jonathan given to me by the Lord Himself:

a deeper faith.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy"  ~1 Peter 1:6-8