Happy Birthday, Jon Will
In The Washington Post, columnist George Will has an essay on his son's 40th birthday.
When Jonathan Frederick Will was born 40 years ago — on May 4, 1972, his father’s 31st birthday — the life expectancy for people with Down syndrome was about 20 years.That is understandable.
The day after Jon was born, a doctor told Jon’s parents that the first question for them was whether they intended to take Jon home from the hospital.
Those are the first three sentences of the article. But what begins with so little hope ends with so much.
This year Jon will spend his birthday where every year he spends 81 spring, summer and autumn days and evenings, at Nationals Park, in his seat behind the home team’s dugout. The Phillies will be in town, and Jon will be wishing them ruination, just another man, beer in hand, among equals in the republic of baseball.
It's impossible to do justice to Will's words, so you must read them for yourself. Read the essay here in its entirety. It's beautiful, just beautiful. Happy birthday, Jon Will.
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Comments:
Jun '10
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
The finest human being I've ever known has Down's syndrome. He's in his early forties and has never caused harm to another human being. But he's brought a lot of joy.
Apr '11
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
Is there a record of Will standing up for Sara's son? If so I missed it, please inform. That family could have used the support.
Sep '10
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
Happy Birthday, Jon Will, and here's to a prayer that you celebrate many more.
Jul '11
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
And to think trisomy 21 seems like a reasonable justification for infanticide for some. God Bless all the special needs kids everywhere, success stories and tough cases. God Bless the parents, care givers and all those who give their time and energy to be rays of sunshine in the lives of those less fortunate. May we always look to our humanity,from conception to death, for those with such issues as the happy and fortunate birthday boy.
May '10
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
We have a friend at church who has a Downs daughter who must be in her 40s. The daughter is an inspiration to me every week. She displays a joyous self-forgetfulness in worship that never fails to remind me how far short I fall in even being able to express thanksgiving.
Every Sunday when I see her I am reminded of a comment years ago by another friend who had a Downs daughter. Based on her experience of living with her daughter, who by that time was in her late teens, she said, "I am convinced that Downs children are actually angels sent to teach us how to live our lives more happily."
Happy Birthday to Jon Will. May this be a wonderful year for him.
Dec '11
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
I too knew someone at church with Down's syndrome. My life was richer for the experience.Forgive me DocJay but I have utter contempt for health professionals that take it for granted that a Down's fetus should be terminated. It leaves me speechless .
Aug '11
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
I'll echo that! He wrote well, not only for his son, but also for others who are often disregarded. There was such a wonderful call to compassion in the column.
Edited on May 3, 2012 at 2:34pmSep '11
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
The most moving article I've ever read was George Will's column that he wrote on the occasion of Jonathan Will's 21st birthday. In that column he described the luxury of Down syndrome:
For us, with a Downs newborn, it was life-changing. I can't count how many times I've said to people, "the luxury of Down syndrome is this: Annie has been Annie since the moment she was conceived." It's nobody's fault. It's not the result of blunt force trauma to the fetus; it not the result of prenatal drug abuse; it's not the result of medical malpractice. Annie is precisely the child God wanted her to be.
Happy Birthday, Jonathan. And enjoy the game.
May '10
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
Happy birthday, Jon.
Well said. I have known parents whose "perfect" babies grew up to make many poor decisions and become a constant source of stress and disappointment, yet even they could not imagine life without these children. Failure to hope and to trust in God's providence is a sad trend, indeed.
May '10
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
Happy Birthday to Mr. Will and Mr. Will. What a wonderful story.
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
That was a beautiful and powerful column. As a former Nats season ticket holder, seeing Jon cheer on the team has always been a delight. He truly is the team's greatest and most loyal fan and everyone in our section knows him (he's down in the good seats, though!).
Also, he never leaves the game early (I've noticed his Dad break that cardinal rule a few times ...)
Mar '12
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
Do Cardinal rules apply outside of St. Louis?
May '10
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
Thank you for sharing the article, I had not yet read George Will's piece. This was truly moving.
Jul '11
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
10 cents, no forgiveness needed. I am not a fan either.
Re: Happy Birthday, Jon Will
John Murdoch: It's nobody's fault. It's not the result of blunt force trauma to the fetus; it not the result of prenatal drug abuse; it's not the result of medical malpractice. Annie is precisely the child God wanted her to be.
Happy Birthday, Jonathan. And enjoy the game. · 5 hours ago
Edited 5 hours ago
John, that is just heartbreakingly beautiful.