My name is Margaret Olmedo, and I am Jonathan’s babysitter.Now some of you are thinking I must be crazy, or awfully old, and I would agree with you.But I assure you, without hesitation, I am Jonathan’s babysitter.
You see, starting when I was ten, I helped Carolyn, Jonathan’s mom, with her baby, who was just months at the time.I played with him, changed his diapers, and mind you they were cloth diapers with large sharp pins, and helped her as needed.
On Sundays, I would pick him up from the nursery when church was over.For July 4th, I took him to see fireworks in the parking lot behind Disneyland. He was a little scared, but kept saying “fireworks boom” while covering his ears, almost trying to convince himself that he wasn’t scared at all.The time he ate money, we were so happy when he pooped it out.Another time, he flushed his shoes and socks down the toilet and said “Bye, Bye.”Once at my parent’s house, he ate so many plums that he got the runs.But that face.He could do anything and you still loved that kid.
When Chris and Carolyn went to France, I was so sad.I kept track of how they were doing, and this was before Facebook and email. I spent every minute with them on their two furloughs, and when I was 15, I visited them in France.I even took 5 years of French because of them.
Now, when they returned to stay, Jonathan was close to being in high school, and I still was his babysitter.Every time I saw him, he had a question or request for me.Once, he asked me where he should get a job and I suggested In-N-Out.Another time, he asked me to take him at the last minute to a museum for a class assignment.I did, and we got into an accident.He thought that was cool.Still another time, he asked me to take him and a friend to see this new movie, The Rock.He assured me that their parents said it was ‘ok’.Let’s just say it wasn’t ‘ok’.But, Jonathan always flashed that smile, and said “hey Margaret”.And that was that.
I would see Jonathan sporadically while he worked at In-N-Out, through myself getting married, taking care of my sick grandpa, pregnant with my daughter, and adopting my kids.He was always happy to see me.And I was always his babysitter.I saw Jonathan at Sarah’s wedding shower, and he was so proud to tell me he was finishing college, and boy, was I proud of him.I still remember that smile.
When I heard he was sick in July, I gave him a call.The first thing I heard was “hey Margaret” and you could hear the smile on his face.We talked for an hour and we got to business right away.He reminded me that I was there when he went forward at Brethren National Youth Conference to re-commit his life to Jesus Christ.
I, later, met up with him on his very first day of chemo.It was a great day of chatting and talking.We even had lunch at In-N-Out.We could talk about hard theological stuff, and neither of us was offended.When I finally took him home, I had my 7 year old and my pastor’s 4 year old in the back seat, and they were throwing this ball at each other and laughing.It kept whizzing by his head, and Jonathan would toss it back. I didn’t realize that Jonathan was hoping the ball would hit him in the head.When it finally did, he laughed and said “Yes!I was waiting for that to happen!” and he threw the ball at them and they began to laugh as well.
The last time I saw Jonathan, I was asked to baby-sit him and Makayla.The first thing he said was, “hey Margaret.I’ve got the whole day planned.”And he did.He had me look up a number and make a phone call to his friend David Leonard.Soon David and his girlfriend Gertie came over and we had a bible study.In our conversation, he told us he was a Christian but regretted not doing more about it.I said, “Jonathan, you believe that Jesus is God, and that he died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day.You believe that the only way you’re saved is through Jesus’ blood and that that blood washes away your sin.That’s all that matters.”With tears, he said, “That’s powerful.”I said, “You know you’re like Jonah in the Whale.The whale has spit you out and now you can go and tell your friends about Christ.”He smiled and said, “Oh, I think I’m still in the belly!”And we all laughed.
I loved Jonathan.It may surprise you when I say, that he wasn’t like a brother really, or a like a friend that you would hang out with.I was his babysitter.And that’s the way I liked it.And when I see him again in heaven, with that big smile he will say, “Hey Margaret!I’ve got so many things planned for us to do!”And I will be ready for an adventure.