Jesse was a truly amazing person. I did a post that was about memories we as a family had of Jesse, but, I never got to gush to you about how fabulous he was...
Jesse was and is one of the most beautiful people that I have ever met. Truly. Inside and out. If you were lucky, you got to be apart of his short time on this earth. I had the greatest and most freaking awesome blessing of being his sister. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards God for sending him to our family. He is a piece to our family that completes a great circle of happiness.
Jesse was hilarious. His sarcasm and wit could out smart even the most educated of people. Always the one with the last word, his quick jokes always caught you off guard but kept you laughing for hours. What was truly unique about his humor was the love that always came behind them. His lips would say one thing but his eyes would always give away his true love for you. Jesse cared for everyone he met.
Jesse was gorgeous. He had brown hair and these chocolate brown puppy eyes that melted every girls heart. When he smiled, his eyes lit up. When he looked at you, he really looked at you. He really loved you. If you were talking with Jesse, you felt like you were the only one that mattered in his entire life. His eyes seemed to look into the deepest part of you and touch you in a way that very few can. His eyes said everything about him. They twinkled when he was kidding and deepened when he cared. I miss his eyes so much. Jesse's eyes are most everyone's favorite feature.
His heart never stopped loving. His faith in people never stopped trusting. The love he carried in his heart radiated all around him. When he entered a room, excitement would always sweep over. "Jesse is here!"
He was irresistible. You had to be near him. When in his company, all your cares cease to exist. With him, you are free. He is a breath of the freshest air. Talking with him is relaxing yet tummy achingly fun and funny. He would talk to you for hours about nothing and you would find yourself lying on the floor laughing your guts out because he has said some of the most random and outrageous things you have ever heard in your entire life. Jesse was too funny! He was everyone's favorite. How could he not be?!
He may seem tough but he cares so incredibly deeply for his family. He had a sensitive side to him that was so loving and kind. Jenna, Megan, and I were the luckiest sisters in the world to have had a brother like him. He worried about who we were dating. He was always there to give us advice.
I remember when Jesse was in Hawaii and he called me. I was having a really hard day. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with Landon at the time and I had not felt him move for about 2 days. I was really scared and was crying to Jesse about how worried I was about the baby. I knew Jesse was not involved in church anymore. I also knew he struggled with his belief in God. So his next comment touched my heart. "Niki, let me call you back. I'm going to pray to God for you and the baby. I don't know what good it will do but I want to help." I was lost for words. I began to cry even more. "You would do that for me?" I said. Jesse was quiet for a long time. "Of course Niki......You are my sister......I would do anything for you."
I waited for the phone call all night. I was so interested to hear what his experience might have been like. He had told me it had been over 3 years since he had last prayed. He expressed that it was very difficult for him to pray. It had been so difficult for him in fact, that three years ago was when he had promised himself he wouldn't ever pray again. He expressed how much he loved me and that for me and my kids he would do just about anything. But--It was getting late. I figured Jesse would just say a quick prayer and call me back. It had now been 3 hours since I had talked to him. I began to think maybe Jesse was not going to call me back.
Finally the phone rang. It was Jesse...
Jesse's voice was very quiet but very confident. "Hi Niki. I just want you to know that your baby is going to be fine." I was silent. He wasn't finished talking. "Niki, you are going to be just fine. Everything is going to be OK." I was so surprised at how confident he was. "Jesse. What happened?" Jesse slowly responded, "I don't know Niki. All I know is that you and the baby are going to be just fine. You are going to have this baby and nothing bad is going to happen." I cried. I believed him 100%. I never worried again.
We talked a little more. Jesse told me the reason it took him so long to call me back was because he had knelt down to pray and could not start the prayer. So he stayed kneeling for over an hour and a half until he was able to start his prayer. Even then, he said, the prayer took a long time. I think of my sweet brother and him kneeling down in humble prayer just for me and my unborn child. "Niki....you are my sister....I would do anything for you."
Landon is the baby I was carrying while Jesse was in Hawaii. Landon is my only baby that did not have jaundice and have to go under the lights. He was my healthiest and happiest baby. Jesse was right.
That is who Jesse was. He would do anything for you. He would make himself uncomfortable to make you comfortable. He was selfless. He was good. He was Jesse. I mean WOW.
He was crazy! He could get Caleb and Adam to do the stupidest things!!! No matter how dumb something might sound on paper, Jesse could talk it up, tell it to Caleb and Adam, and get them to go along with it. It was crazy the things he could talk people in to. He was that magnetic of a person. You wanted to be around him. You wanted to be like him. You wanted to be him. Where Jesse was, you would follow. You knew you would always have a great time. It would always be exciting and life never got any better than when you were hangin' with the Jess master.
The outdoors is where he is most comfortable. His survival skills are fantastic. He can go camping for weeks and love every second of it. That also meant he could go a little while with out showering......Jesse never minded a little dirt. It was not uncommon to see him and smell the yummy smell of camp fire on his sweatshirt. Jesse smelled just the way he was. WILD AND FREE.
One fantastic thing about Jesse is that he loves his mother. His love for her is soft and tender. Protective even. He cares for her so deeply. You can see it in those chocolate brown eyes when he looks at her. He is over a foot taller than her and I can see him giving mom a gigantic bear hug. He is gentle. He cares so much and thinks the world of her. He is a mama's boy through and through. Ham and cheese casserole is his favorite. (He gets excited like a little kid when she makes it.) He loves her cinnamon rolls too. To him, no one is a better cook than she. Jesse loves you mom. Jesse will always love you.
He is absolutely amazing but never realizing it. He is humble. I don't believe he ever knew how truly awesome he really was. That was his charm. So charismatic with a shimmer of shy. There is just no one like Jesse. He is one of a kind. Irreplaceable. I love that boy!
I miss my chocolate brown eyed brother. But I know he is in a happier, safer, and in a more loving place. I know he is where he is needed. I know he lives on in each of our hearts.
My son Beckham, who is 3, said just 2 weeks ago in his own 3 year old broken english, "Jesse in here." and he pointed to his heart. I believe that with all my heart. Jesse is inside all of us. Just like everyone is who lives in our lives and passes on. We are all so lucky to have that piece of them remain with us.
Just their memory is a beautiful thing. Because it can be passed on forever...
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This blog is mainly written by Niki Michaelis. There have been two other co-writers so far: Jenna Pinegar and Sarah Cook. If you need help finding a loved one please contact me. I would be more than willing to put your loved ones picture up and story to get more people looking for your loved one. Email me at themissingpiece777@gmail.com. Will contact you as soon as possible.