July 15th–Glioblastoma Awareness Day. Prior to Jason getting diagnosed with this terminal brain cancer in 2020 I had never heard of it. Now I live the effects of it every day and am much more aware of glimpses of it in the news…famous people that have been diagnosed…and subsequently died. I don’t want to talk about those famous people…or how horrible the disease is…I want to talk about Jason.
Of all the people on this earth Jason was the last that deserved to have this “uninvited guest” take root in his brain…but we all know that bad things happen to good people all the time. Life will never be fair. He knew that and accepted his fate with grace and humility. He never thought he was anyone special…just a normal guy living his life the best way he knew how. He was confident in who he was and had very little care for society’s opinions. He lived a life of integrity with zero regrets.
Jason was one of those people that lived by a very defined set of values and didn’t stray from them. Above all else he valued his family. I had complete confidence that I was his favorite person and he loved me above all else…and he knew that was reciprocated. Everything we built together was stable because of that trust and steady base.
Our children closely followed in his heart, and mine as well. Jason was a truly selfless parent. We enjoyed watching our kids blossom and grow…each finding their own “things”. Scout meetings, softball games, volleyball games, baseball games, tennis matches, chess matches, speed cubing competitions…he was there for it. I have the honor of continuing to watch them grow, but their Dad’s influence and growing up with that steady base are apparent. They are his living legacy.
Extended family was important to Jason as well…both his and mine. He valued being a good son to his parents…keeping in touch with them and always being willing to help them out when they needed it. He loved being a brother, especially to his twin, and really leaned into that role with my youngest siblings. I think he liked getting to be a big brother when he was the baby in his family.
Really the only competition that I had for Jason’s attention was tennis. He absolutely loved that sport. He played tennis like he lived his life. He had fun and played with integrity. The vast majority of his friends were made through tennis. A good deal of the trips that we took were because of tennis. We still live and breathe tennis in this house because our boys still play. Levi ran into somebody just the other day that said “You know, I played tennis against your Dad…” I think a lot of people that were on court with him remembered Jason. Not just for his tennis game, but for the way that he played.
Jason lived a life of compassion. He rarely had a bad word to say about anyone. He gave people so much grace and forgiveness, accepting that humans make mistakes all the time, but those mistakes don’t have to define who they are. I honestly can only remember two times I saw Jason really upset with someone. Both times, he was so much quicker to have grace and forgive than I was. I remind myself to have “grace like Jason” every single damn day.
As we are coming up on 5 years on August 4th since Jason passed away I remember his life as one that was cut short, but well-lived. I do my best to honor his memory by living a fulfilling life for both of us. To show compassion. To live with integrity. I try to give myself grace, just as he would, when I fall short…and believe me, I do. My hope is that everyone who was touched by Jason in their lives would feel compelled to do the same. This world could use a little more “Jason”.
Love, Tennis, and Cancer 