Honoring Tradition.
Celebrating Life.

Kelly Marie Jonker

August 5, 1979 - July 25, 2015
Grand Rapids, MI

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Visitation

Friday, July 31, 2015
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EDT
Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes
Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel
2120 Lake Michigan Dr., N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(616) 453-8263
Driving Directions

Service

Friday, July 31, 2015
11:00 AM EDT
Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes
Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel
2120 Lake Michigan Dr., N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(616) 453-8263
Driving Directions

Life Story / Obituary


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A message of hope thanks to my sister, Kelly

We all have choices. Sometimes the choices before us are more difficult than others. They can lead to joy and they can lead to sorrow. When I am faced with a difficult choice, I turn to my faith for answers. I pray for peace that surpasses all understanding. Because sometimes, in the most difficult moments, I cannot rely on myself to know what is right and have to rely on the knowledge that God has a plan for me (Jerimiah 29:11). I feel fortunate to have that reassurance. That...hope.

Isaiah 61:1 says, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted, to announce liberty to captives, and to open the eyes of the blind." Liberty to captives....Good news for those afflicted...comfort for brokenhearted. For those that truly knew our family, knew my sister, you understand that my sister was captive. She was held captive by choices that kept haunting her and following her through every new direction she would take in life. If you knew our family, you would also understand that the relationship between myself and my sister was like oil and water. We did not always see eye to eye. YET despite our differences, somehow, she would still seek me for council, reassure me she cared and wanted to be there for me, and wanted to show love in the ways she could...the way she understood. So, in return, I would give her council, reassure her that we care about her and her children and want what is best for them, and show her love is ways I could. And, for us, it had to be good enough.

I did not agree with many of Kelly's choices because many caused pain. And because of the pain they caused, I did not always choose to acknowledge the suffering either- for any of us. She was caught in a cycle of her own choices that she could not break free from. But she was not blind to this...we may not have always agreed with her choices, but we have always loved her. We loved her with hearts of forgiveness. We loved her despite her struggles. We loved her through the storms.

So...now what? I have a choice. I can look back at my memories and decide what I want to see there. I can relive the council, the prayers, the tears OR I can choose hope. I can carry with me a valuable lesson that my sister has taught me. It's not how to pee on a tree, go deep sea diving in a hot tub, or how to make the perfect special deluxe sandwich...although those are extremely valuable....I now fully grasp "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7)." The day before my sister died, she told my mom that she doesn't have a church but she does believe in God. She said that she believes that God still might have a plan for her. I choose to hope. I choose to cling to the comfort that her pain is over and those she loved are loved.

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.

-- Maya Angelou

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