A New Beginning, or It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

“The time has come," the Walrus said,


"To talk of many things:

Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--

Of cabbages--and kings…….”

The words here have been spoken not only in a poem, but by many who have wished to garner the attention of any and all that they wish to listen. The time has come – a phrase that leaves you attendant, ready for the next moment of clarity, hoping and waiting with baited breath to hear what will come next.

It is with joy, and sorrow, sadness and excitement that the Mills family will be leaving Fort Worth in a week’s time. On July 11, 2013, we embark on the next part of our journey on this earth, and move our little family to Springdale, Arkansas. There are many reasons for this move, and I will elaborate on those in a moment. I want to take a few paragraphs to wax poetically, or at least say a few thank you’s and goodbyes to those who have brought meaning into our lives over the past 7-12 years.

To my friends and family from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary – you took me in, showed me what it meant to really dig into the Scriptures, and seek out the Lord where He is and where He is working. I am forever grateful for my time with you and those years meant so much to me. I met some lifelong friends there, and will always cherish my experience at SWBTS.

To all the people in my life that I met through Wedgwood Baptist Church – where do I even begin? You saw something in me and allowed me to be a part of your family from the beginning. You gave me a chance to sing, to lead, to speak, to teach, to be a part of an amazing youth ministry – to make a difference and let God use me like I never had been before. Peru and Ukraine would never have been possibilities without you, and that would have been a terrible loss. Youth Camps, Mission Tours, Sunday School, Youth Events, Praise Team, Choir – I know there was more, but you get the point. I will always be a Wedgie, and hey, I even proposed to my wife and got married there!!! There are so many people to think about and be thankful for, so I’ll just say it like this – to my Wedgwood family, I was so blessed to have been a part of your lives and your world for the 6 years I was there. I can only hope and pray that I was able to make a difference to you in the same ways that you built into me. I love you all.

Meadowridge – you took Whitnee and I in for just a short time, but we were blessed to be a part of your fellowship and so thankful for the love that you showed us. God bless you all!!

Travis Avenue – you were our home for the darkest time in our lives, the death of our daughter. We thank God for the kindness and understanding that you showed us for a long time. You were also our home when we were incredibly blessed with our son, and we dedicated him to the Lord under your roof. Thank you so very much for allowing me to deal with grief and sorrow while leading in worship. That chance helped to keep me grounded when I needed it.

To the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History – you have been my creative home now for 12 years!! Whether it was part time, full time, or just as your resident Mad Scientist, you gave me the space, the time, and leadership I needed to come into my own as a performer and as an educator. I can honestly say I would not be who I am right now without the work I was able to do with you. From the floor staff to Design IT to the NANO Project, to STAR WARS and the Mad Scientists Ball, you gave me the creative outlet to explore and create new learning experiences that are part of my repertoire today! I love you all and I do hope our paths cross again one day!

To the Fort Worth ISD – it has been 6 years since you enticed me to come work with you, and I am truly blessed to have been a part of your family. From my beginnings at Trimble Tech to winning the Science Chair and Teacher of the Year all the way to the Admin building working on curriculum and professional development – it has been an amazing ride! My career as an educator has been strengthened by my time here, and I have learned so much from so many people! There are so many teachers and educators who have built into my life, and my toolkit for teaching, I wish I could thank you all by name. You held up my wife and I when we lost our daughter and you rejoiced with us when we gave birth to our son. You gave me a chance to become better than I was, and I will carry on that tradition as I go. Thank you so much!

Some of my best friends live here in Fort Worth. You know who you are. I will miss you so much and I desperately want to keep in touch through social media! I know it won’t be easy, but you are family to me.

I know that our leaving Fort Worth won’t matter to a lot of people. That’s ok. I want to say something that might be a few years too late, but I need to say it anyway. To the people who we may have let down by retreating from everything after Lydia died, to the people who tried to hold out your hands to us and we just couldn’t come out of the shell, to the people who moved on with their lives as they should have – I am so sorry. Trying to survive is something that we never expected to have to do. We lost touch with so many people, and we know that we pushed people away as well. Forgive us. We apologize.

Fort Worth has been my home for the last 12 years, to Whitnee and I the entire 7 years of our marriage, and it is the place where our children were born. Fort Worth will always hold a piece of us, a piece of me. We laid Lydia to rest here. We saw our son Micah take his first steps here. Fort Worth has been home. We do not leave you lightly and without purpose.



Whitnee, Micah, and I are moving to Springdale, Arkansas to be closer to family. Whitnee has many family members in that area, and we have been blessed with the opportunity to get to be with them. There are many unknowns, but the prospect of seeing our son grow up with family nearby is a consummation that we have devoutly wished for, for so many years. I want to thank the Hager family for their incredible support of us making this move, and I want to thank my family, the Mills, for their support in all of this as well. We love you both, and whether it’s a few miles away or Skyping across the miles we want Micah to know his grandparents as much as he can!!

I will be taking a science teacher job at Elkins High School, outside of Fayetteville. We thank God for opening the door for me to have this job, and we ask Him to help us as we adjust to a new way of life. Micah will be going to a new daycare, and we pray that his transition will be smooth. We are praying now for a new church home, a new church family to belong to, and someone to rent our house here in Fort Worth. God has been faithful through this whole process, and we are so grateful to see Him move in this way.

If we made a difference in your life, we are blessed to have had the opportunity. If you have made a difference in ours, I hope we have told you along the way. We will see you all on Facebook, on Twitter, maybe on Skype, but we want you all to know that you will be missed, and we covet your prayers as we go. Kyrie Eleison down the road that we all must travel.

I love you all.

Jonathon Mills



P.S. – The time has come, the walrus said… to start living again!!