Please use this blog to help us remember Joshua Lee Anderson, who made the tragic and fatal decision to take his life on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. Please post any memories or thoughts you may have in the comments.


Monday, March 23, 2009

For all who came to the service...


Tim and I want to thank everyone who came to help us remember and celebrate Josh's short life on this earth. In looking around the packed church, it was clear that he touched so many people's lives. I have been writing in a journal to help me through this difficult time and I have a prayer that I would like to share with you....

My prayer is:
  • that every kid in that room witnessing firsthand the love for Josh, would understand that this love is there for them too....
  • that every person who attended would join me in looking at their own relationships within their immediate and extended family and, if there are problems and issues, to fix them now as we never know what may happen....
  • that if family ties are strong, we should do everything we can to make them stronger.....
  • that it is important to reach out and get together with other families so we can do whatever it takes to protect our kids because it is a hard world for them....
  • that Josh's death would not be in vain.....

Thank you for all the love and support. Please keep us in your prayers as we try to move forward in our lives without our beautiful boy, Josh.

Love,
Tim and Sue

14 comments:

Scott VanHoogstraat said...

Sue and Tim,
We only wish we could have been there yesterday to support you and love you...know that from thousands of miles away you are loved and thought of all the time during this difficult and trying time for you...thanks for sharing your prayer. I will share it with the family today...we all are hurting deeply for you and can't imagine the pain you are enduring... God be with you and much love from us, VanHoog's in AZ

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Anderson,
I met you at the service and i have been a friend of josh's since freshmen year. You saw me crying and came over to give me the biggest hug and explained to me josh was in that room with us and i want you to know that i do believe that. I know josh is in heaven for he was such an amazing person. This whole experience has taught me so much about my own life and my own struggles. I think of Josh all the time but i know he is in a better place and that now we just have to wait longer then planned to be with him again. So many people loved your son, it is impossible to show you even with blogs and websites and photos. It is truly unexplainable how many hearts your son touched. He was always one to be goofy at the appropriate times, but if you needed a friend he knew exactly how to treat you and exactly what to say to make you feel better. Although i was not best friends with josh we were very good friends and i do believe he made me a better person everytime i was around him. I want to let you know that i am so sorry for your loss, but that all of us will stick together through this tought time. Josh was a gift to everyone, and no matter what will remain a gift in all our lives, forever.

you and your family are in my prayers

Anonymous said...

You are in my thoughts and prayers. I am encouraged by your post as a mother. I have been afraid for you. I have been praying that would find strength in the Lord to start moving through this sad time. My heart aches for your loss. As I look at the pictures and read what people write I can see what beautiful young man he was. I will work harder to help the teenagers in my life and I will never give up.

I am so sorry

Anonymous said...

Tim, Sue, Tyler, Lauren & Gillian,
We think of Josh with smiles as we remember him as a little guy during your family's years in Montgomery County. Our hearts and prayers are with you all during this time. May God comfort you all.
Love--Bart & Tina Charles

Anonymous said...

Tim and Sue,
We were so sadden to hear about Josh on Wednesday. I lay awake for hours that night thinking of you both and praying that you find some peace and comfort during this time. I remember Josh as a sweet little boy when I lived in VA. I can only imagine the pain that you are eduring right now. As I look at my kids (5,3 and 6 mos) I will remember Josh and your prayer for all of us. Thank you for sharing with us. I'll continue to pray for your family and all of Josh's friends. Love to all,
Lora Fredrick Young (and my family)

Rachel said...

Sue,
Shannon and I cannot express how sorry we are. Just know that you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers and will continue to be in the times ahead. I have always admired your strong determination to excel at work while also putting your dedication to your family first and foremost. Continue to stay strong...God bless you all!
Love,
Shannon and Rachel Knapp

Anonymous said...

sue and tim we came to the service and i feel so bad that josh had to leave they wasy he did but he will never be forgotten and he is in a better place now. I am hurting really bad and i know my school Langley is too. Josh was a really good guy he would sleep next to me in class and drole all over the table. He always had that great smile on his face
always
me Langley class of 2010
Never will he be forgotten

Anonymous said...

Anderson family,
i was at the funeral yesterday for josh. it was beautiful and helped bring up all the wonderful aspects of your son and my friend Josh. I had alot of good times with josh because he rode my bus every morning. Everyday he would hold up my mirror for me and the light from his Ipod because i couldnt see. Josh always would let me choose the song on the ipod too, no matter how girly it was. He was very thoughtful and would always help me with my homework, even when i dind't ask. Josh was very bright and was exceptional in school. I met him in sixth grade and i had a huge crush on him. I remember i would always get to the langley football games early because i knew josh was always passing the ball around with his friends before and during them. I have had alot of good memories with him and i want you to know that your family is in my prayers and josh will never be forgotten.

Love always,
Onalee Makam

Anonymous said...

To the Andersons-
Josh was everyone's friend. He was never ever one to judge a book by it's cover. I don't think I have ever met anyone as warm and welcoming as your son. I remember I first met him in 8th grade. I remember he always fell asleep in math class and Mr. Zarrow would always wake him up to a math problem. And yet, Josh had the brain of Einstein. He always knew the answer. Mr. Zarrow would also tease Josh about this silly chicken tee shirt he had on.
Then freshmen year, I was lucky to have more classes with him. I remember him always coming up with goofy plans with the other guys to annoy our teacher, Miss Lindsey. He used to always write "Jander" on her whiteboard and she had no idea what it meant. Lastly, Josh and I had a nickname for eachother..."Robotransformer." I can't quite remember how we came up with the name...but whenever I'd see him in the hall I'd run up and yell "Robo robo robo!" And he would look around and pretend not to see me (because I was a lot shorter than him).he'd say something like "is that the wind I hear?" Then finally he'd say "oh hey there you are!"
And I was looking through my yearbook the other day and I saw that he wrote ROBOTRANSFORMER in capital letters in my yearbook. Your son was one who always made everyone laugh no matter what. And that goofy smirk brightened up all of our days. I'm sorry for what has happened and if there's anything I can do, I'm always here.

Anonymous said...

Josh,
I only met you briefly once this past summer; something that I will regret and conjure "what if?"'s for years to come. However, through my friendship with your sister, Gillian, I feel like I was able to get a pretty solid idea of the type of young man you were. As a four year football player at TJ I'm truly jealous of the two fortunate groups of guys who were able to take the field with you. There is no doubt in my mind that you were watching your service Saturday afternoon, and that you now are fully aware of the love shared for you on this planet. I pray that knowing this has put your mind at ease. The greatest news of all is that where you are, nobody can take that comfort away. Rest assured that there are countless people here who look forward to spending an eternity with you in a place where we all need not be concerned with the stresses, pressures, and punishments of life on Earth.

Until we meet again, your friend,
Beau

PS: I too love that version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Anonymous said...

Sue, Tim, Lauren and family,
we think about you everyday with despair. You raised four fine, smart children which is very telling of what kind of good, devoted parents. Pictures show a lot of happy times.God be with you.

Love,
The Barlows

Anonymous said...

Anderson family,

Josh was a truly remarkable kid. It is extremely clear that he was awfully loved by every person around him, and not a bad word could be spoken about him. I was friends with him, and some of my close friends were a few of his best friends. Seeing them, as well as everybody in the Langley community, including myself, going through this time makes us all realize we never want anyone to ever feel the way Josh did again. We have all reached out to one another, and will always be reaching out to you.I wish the best to all of you and will surely be visiting in the near future. Your strength has been so influential to me and I grieve for you as I could never imagine losing a family member like this. I have realized that I need to stay closer to my family and never take anything for granted. God Bless you all.

Josh,
You are loved more than anyone I have ever known, and you always will be. I only wish you knew this when you had your time on this Earth. Although it was cut short, you made a great impact on hundreds of people.The smirk never faded off of your face, and will never fade out of our memories. Rest in peace, Josh, you are in a better place now and I cannot wait to see you again. We miss you always.
I pray for you multiple times a day and hope you are much happier now. You will never be forgotten, ever.

Love always

Anonymous said...

Tim and Sue,
We found out about Josh at church this morning and our hearts ache for you guys. We still remember Josh as that cute little baby. Although we have not seen you guys much over the years, we still have a very deep love for your family. We pray that God comforts and strengthen you all through this most difficult time.

We love you all,

Willie and Mary

Anonymous said...

Thanksgivings, Superbowls, and camp are just a few of some of the great memories I have of Josh.
He was a great friend and was encouraging to everyone around him.
I missed being able to come up but I would like you to know that I am praying for you all. Our families have been such great friends over many years. I love you all and you are in my prayers.

Much love,
Lily