The Golden Child
Happy 25th “golden birthday” to my first born child. Incredible…I love you Pooh!!! 🥹🎂🥳🎉🎁💖
Young Queen
Happy 21st birthday to my first born child, my young Queen. It’s so hard to process this much time passing by, and what was once my little baby has become a full grown woman! With every passing year I feel both happy and sad. I try to enjoy every moment with you because I know your next steps in life will move you away from me, and I’ll have to learn how to let you go…How did we come this far so fast?! Seems like you were just graduating high school, and now this! No matter what, you’ll always be my baby.
I love you with all my heart!!!
Happy Mother’s Day
I know it may not feel like a day for celebrating but, I’d like to say to all the mommies everywhere, Happy Mother’s Day!!! From me to you. With love, honor, respect, and appreciation ❤
Uncle Doug
This literally feels like I’m living inside my worst nightmare!!!
How can YOU be gone?!
In my mind I keep telling myself that at some point I will sit down and give you the proper send off you deserve, but I don’t know how long it will take for me to realistically confront my emotions? It’s taken me weeks to come this far. You deserve so much better. I can’t right now…believe me, I’ve tried. This is beyond hard. I’m forcing myself to do this now because, I want the world to know how great of a loss this is to me. I am losing the very people who helped to make me who I am.
You were my Uncle but, you were also my big brother, a father figure, and one of the very best friend’s I’ll EVER have! There’s no words meaningful enough to describe how much I’ll miss you. I can’t believe I’m sitting here writing this!
I’ve lost many loved ones in my life but, this an even deeper level of pain that not even I thought I could reach. Yet, here I am.
I truly hope wherever you are that you’re at peace. For all of the joy that you brought to me and others, I’d say you definitely earned it.
Man, this literally feels like I’m living inside my worst nightmare!!!
I never wanted this to be my last photo of you…
Happy Birthday Lil Bro!
Happy Birthday to my younger brother Marcus. I hope you enjoy yourself and have lots of fun. I wish I was back home to help celebrate with you. Cheers! I love you man!!!
Melody
I know how much I annoyed you by constantly pointing my camera at you, always trying to take your picture. Now I wish I had taken even more… You were so beautiful to me. I made sure I let you know that every single time I saw you. I didn’t mean to get on your nerves. All I was ever trying to do was capture that glow you had about you. I wanted to preserve and admire it. Now that’s all I have left…these pictures, these memories. You were an angel on this earth, and now you’re an angel in heaven! I love you!!!
Grown Woman
Happy Birthday to my first born. I can’t believe that you’re 20 years old today! Where did all this time go? Sometimes I sit back and think, it really trips me out that you were actually born in the 90’s. I’m so proud of the woman you’re becoming. As a father you make me so happy! I wish you all the best going forward in your life. You’re one of the sweetest people I know and I pray you’ll always stay that way. Oh yeah, you may look just like your mom but, you act just like your old man! 😉 I love you so much!!!
New Year Same Pain
2018, what can I say about you? You took so many of my beloved family and friends, leaving my entire family with completely broken hearts. Just when we thought you were done with us, just when we thought that you would give us a break for the new year, you decide to deal us one final, cruel, blow. December 28th you decided to take with you my mother-in-law, Renae. What a terrible way to end one year and begin another.
The last few weeks have been unimaginable!!! Everyone has been far too busy dealing with this tragedy to even think of posting anything on social media. But now that we’ve said our final goodbyes and have a moment to reflect, I thought I’d share this unfortunate news with extended family & friends around the world. If you know Terri, Toni, or their mother Renae, a few kind words plus some positive energy would be greatly appreciated at this time. Thank you!
Special thank you to Melody Murriel & your beautiful Mother for all of your help during this incredibly difficult situation. We can’t thank you enough! ❤️
Mom, we all love you, and we will all miss you tremendously!!!
Denial
My mind just won’t let me accept the fact that you’re gone and that I’ll never see you again! Rest In Power Unc!
Wayne S. Jones Sr.
Happy Birthday Grandmama
Yesterday was a very rough day for me. It was my Grandmother’s first birthday since her passing, and although I wished her a happy heavenly birthday on my family’s page, I just couldn’t bring myself to post anything personally. I’m doing somewhat better today so I wanted share my love and support with my family by creating a photo in honor of her memory. I know it’s technically no longer her date of birth but, I will proudly celebrate her life any and everyday for the rest of my life.
This photo represents life’s beauty and strength, yet it’s fragility. Cherish your precious life and the life of your loved ones. I love you, I miss you forever Grandmama!!!
For The Love Of My Grandmothers
I was fortunate enough to have you both until I was 42 years old
You helped raise me, and love me, may God bless your beautiful soul
Although I’m sad, I can’t be mad I suppose, because one was a jewel 💎 and the other was a rose🌹
I’ll always love you both forever! Your son, Robert ❤
Emma Jewel
Rose Marie
Rose
The Definition Of A Jewel
According To Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary A Jewel Is Defined As:
Here is a short poem I wrote in memory and honor of my wonderful grandmother, Emma Jewel X Orsborn.
Sunrise: May 18, 1928 Sunset: January 6, 2018.
“They say no one is perfect, you’re the exception to the rule
Because, God crafted perfection when he created this Jewel.”
Senior Prom/Learning To Let Go
I remember the day you were born. That day was my very first lesson in learning how to let you go. Having to leave you at the hospital to go to work that night was hardest thing I’ve ever done. I wanted to stay with you, to hold you, look at you, let you become familiar with me. My first child. But I had to let you go…
When you finally came home, each night that I left for work I would be so sad driving away, because I didn’t want to let you go.
When we put you in daycare, it was the first time that I had to leave you alone with strangers, and everyday that I walked out of that door I had to let you go. I would stand in the window and watch you until I didn’t have any time left to give.
Your first day of school, I was so happy for you, but so nervous. When the bus came to pick you up and carry you off I cried like a baby. I stood in the street and watched as the bus became smaller and smaller, until it eventually disappeared. There was nothing I could do, I knew I had to let you go.
Since then, there have been so many moments, so many times where the only thing that I could do was stand by and let you go. It never gets any easier.
Now here we are already, senior prom! Look at you. You’re so beautiful! You look just like your mother…
Once again I have to see you off and let you go. I’m so proud, but so hurt.
I know soon you’ll go off to school, or move out on your own and I’ll have to set you free.
Eventually you’ll meet someone, fall in love, get married, and that’s when I’ll lose you. That’s when my heart will truly break…that’s when I’ll really have to let you go.
I always knew these days would come, yet I’m still not prepared.
I love you so much!!!
You will always be my baby, sometimes I wish you could stay that way.
Why do I have to let you go?…
I never want to let you go!
But I know I must…
Happy 15th Birthday Nas!!!
It’s mind blowing how fast time flies right before our eyes. I can recall everything I was doing at 15 as if it literally happened yesterday, and now I have a fifteen year old son…it’s crazy! It’s almost like watching myself growing up again in another body! Anyway, I’d like to wish my son a very sincere Happy Birthday today! I love you Prince!!!
Happy Birthday To Me!!!
Yesterday was my birthday and my family made sure that I thoroughly enjoyed myself. So today I’d like to thank them as well as ALL of the wonderful people that took time out of their busy day to wish me a Happy Birthday! Thank you Terri, Safiyyah, Rahzjon, Renae, and Jocelyn. I love you all!!! Thank you to everyone! I’m truly blessed and humbled.
Happy Birthday Antonio!!!
I’d like to wish my youngest brother and partner in crime a very Happy Birthday today!!! I hope you enjoy yourself and that we can celebrate together real soon. I love you man!!!
For Grandpa
I Can’t Begin To Tell You How Difficult And Surreal It Is To See A Man That Signified Strength And Toughness My Entire Life Reduced To Such A Helpless State. However, The Amazing Revelation Is, Despite His Crippling Illness He Symbolizes Strength And Toughness Even More So Now! Fighting Parkinson’s Disease For 32 Years Is A Heroic Triumph. Although I’m Sadden That My Grandfather Has Been Stricken With This Affliction My Faith Is Renewed In Bearing Witness To His Warrior’s Spirit. He Is A True Fighter. I Can Only Hope That Maybe Some Of His Strength And Resiliency Lives Inside Of Me. You Are My Inspiration! I Proudly Carry Your Name. I Love You Old Man!!!
Happy Birthday To My Prince!!!
I’d like to wish my son a very happy 14th birthday! I love you with all my heart!!!!
For Posterity
My Granny curiously watched me as I walked into the house, sat my bag down, unzipped the pouch, and took out my camera. She watched intensely as I removed the lens cap, then unscrewed the protective filter. She nervously stared at me as I approached her with my camera and after raising the the lens in her direction she quickly yelled, “I look a mess today, please don’t take my picture right now son!” Being the hard-headed child that I am I proceeded to snap anyway. Embarrassed, she looked right at me and asked, “why are you taking my picture?” I answered, “because, you’re beautiful and I love you!” Then I said, “I need these pictures to pass down to all the future generations of our family” “They need to know who the Queen of this family is” She smiled shyly then said, “ok son, go ahead” She has always spoiled me… She always lets me have my way and I’m happy that she does 🙂 This is real love!
“The Embrace”
Could you figure out what it was? Well, it’s actually an abstract shot of my children hugging. Taken about 2 years ago to test my new camera and lens, this was the very first shot with my new gear. I was so impressed with the amount of detail in the file I decided to keep it. Later I grew to appreciate the emotional value of the image. Although my children very rarely get into any type of fight or disagreement, I thought it was a particularly genuine moment where they shared a very sweet embrace with one another. It’s kind of hard to decipher because there’s so much hair in the shot but, that’s exactly why I love it! It just goes to show that sometimes the photos we dislike or maybe think very little of at first can eventually turn out to be some of our most cherished. I’m so happy I decided to keep it! ❤
Transformation
The more my son ages the more I see him as a miniature version of myself. He is starting to become a direct reflection of me as a teenager. Watching this transformation as both a parent and observer is quite amazing…it entrigues me, while making me happy and sad at the same time. I’m very curious as to how much more we will have in common and how much he will differ from me as he grows into an adult and fully develops his own personality? I will continue to try and document this process in the hopes that he will someday look back at it all with his own children and appreciate my effort to catalogue his development as a person created in my own image.
Versatility By RNJ 