Day One

This is the first day I live without my baby brother.  Yesterday was his funeral.  The day before was the day he died.  Today is just a day.

To say there is a void in our lives, in the world, is an understatement.  There were close to a thousand people at the funeral yesterday.  Half of that attended the burial.  It felt like a million people walked through our house yesterday hugging us, crying to us, condoling us.  It was nothing short of the worst thing a person can bear.

Though it's not shocking at all, because Jonny Kessner was the most likable person I ever knew, it legitimately felt like each and every one of the people with us yesterday was touched somehow by him.  He was so special to so many people.  How could one person have so much time for so many people in such a short life?  It was incredible to see how far and wide his energy reached.

I wanted to share my speech at the funeral with you all.  I couldn't bring myself to read it, so Richie read it for me.  It's just a little, tiny piece of what I knew and loved about one of the most special people to walk this earth:

How do you put a person into words?  And there are no words to describe how much we love Jonny.  So deciding what to say here today was beyond impossible.

The smiles he invoked with his forever lively personality were constant.  He brightened any room he entered.  His energy was infectious.  He loved life and lived it well.

He has more friends than anyone I’ve ever met.  And family was such a huge part of his world.  He found time to make so many people feel special and loved in his life.

He loved so big and was loved even bigger.

We cannot imagine life without him, but know he will live in our hearts forever and ever.

Here’s what I believe he would have wanted from us all: Stay strong, Love big, and Listen to good music.