Your unfulfilled destiny is what I often think about and coincidentally, "Unfulfilled Destinies" is the title of a paper written this year by Alexandra Kleinerman of Cornell University and Alhena Gadotti of Townson University and dedicated to your memory. Kleinerman and Gadotti wrote about a cuneiform school tablet with a previously unknown Sumerian proverb that states that no matter what natural abilities we are given by the gods (in this proverb, Enki the Sumerian god "whose decisions establish destinies for all of humanity"), the human condition is to squander the gods' gifts to us. Today you would have been 32 years old, a young adult who knew his abilities, and understood what life has to offer. Everyone who knew you, knows that contrary to prediction in the proverb cited by the paper's authors, you would have had the ambition and energy to fulfill your destiny. Today, as always, I think of you and wonder about what wonderful accomplishments you would have achieved by now.

Yesterday was your ninth yahrzeit and although we always think of you and talk about you, it is also nice to have friends and associates mark your memory. This past year was marked by a beautiful dedication to you. In his book, The Lexical Texts in the Schoyen collection, Miguel Civil, Professor of Sumerology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, included a dedication to you. The chapter on a lexical tablet written by Sin-suma-iddina, the young scribe, son of the royal scribe, was “Published in memory of Jonathan (aka Johnny Physical) Neuman z”l (February 19, 1980 to June 26, 2002), beloved son of Lewis and Janet Neuman.”

Today is the ninth anniversary of your death on the solar calendar, just a day after the second anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. Although for your family there will never be a story as sad as yours, Michael's story and yours have a great deal in common and it seems difficult for us to avoid the comparison. Both of you were rock/pop singers, with your lives devoted to music. Both of you passed away while under medical care, him for his emotional problems and addiction, you for leukemia. Both of your deaths are related to medical errors and physicians' callousness, although your medical treatment was far worse. The end was unfortunately the same. Although Michael Jackson lived longer and achieved far greater fame, you will always remain the greatest rock singer in our hearts.

Today is the ninth anniversary of your death on the solar calendar, just a day after the second anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. Although for your family there will never be a story as sad as yours, Michael's story and yours have a great deal in common and it seems difficult for us to avoid the comparison. Both of you were rock/pop singers, with your lives devoted to music. Both of you passed away while under medical care, him for his emotional problems and addiction, you for leukemia. Both of your deaths are related to medical errors and physicians' callousness, although your medical treatment was far worse. The end was unfortunately the same. Although Michael Jackson lived longer and achieved far greater fame, you will always remain the greatest rock singer in our hearts.

All invited to the ”Sixth Physical” concert, to be performed by the Tufts University Music Department and the New Music Ensemble on Friday April 29, 2011 at 8 P.M. at the Granoff Music Center, 20 Talbot Ave., on campus, in Medford, MA 02155. The event will honor Jonathan with new musical composition, inspired by his living memory. Hope to see you all.

Happy birthday (one day late, I know.) Just told a story about you the other day about something that you had taught me. In short, it had to do with how to appreciating a given moment in time. I have taken that advice with me. Wish I could still get your opinion and advice on things. Miss you, Bret

I'm keeping you in my thoughts today, my friend.

Me describing you may not be your first choice for what I should write about today on your birthday, but when I was talking about you this year to someone who didn't know you, she asked me to describe you and realizing that she as well as many others never knew you, I first felt unprepared to do you justice. I have to give it a try with a few thought about you here, on your site. I think that what comes to me first, is that from a very early age and into young manhood, your face always seemed to have a glow, almost like the halos that medieval artists painted around the faces of holy figures. I think that it had to do with your love of everyone you met and your assumption that everyone would also love you. The next thing that comes to mind is how you could devote yourself to acquiring a skill and how you could teach yourself so much. For example, you had studied drums, but when you decided to be a rock star, you taught yourself guitar, bass, and keyboard, and then recorded songs for which you wrote the music and the lyrics, for which you were the vocalist and played the guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard. You taught yourself how to mix the separate tracks into an album. I also remember going to museums with you and many times having my patience tested by the length of time you spent studying a few works by one or two artists. But then after we got home, you would surprise me by doing your own beautiful and innovative work in a style that was similar to that of one of these artists. Another of your qualities that comes to mind is your physical coordination. At a very early age, we learned that you were ambidextrous, or as you put it, you didn't understand about being right handed or left handed. You said that you had a favorite hand, depending upon the task. Although you were never the biggest or strongest athlete in your age group, you were the most beautiful to watch. Your baseball swing was as graceful as DiMaggio's. In basketball, you reminded me of an emerging Dr. J. And I remember when just before you became ill, you told me that one day you were going to marry a really beautiful girl and have a lot of children. I'm sure that you would have been just as wonderful a father and husband as you had been a musician, an artist, an athlete, and a son. This and much more.

You are always with me... Love, Mom

Hi Jonathan: Today was your eighth Yahrzeit and for mincha, I said Kaddish at Bnai Yeshurun, in Teaneck. Your cousin Ira is here from Israel for a visit and he gave a talk, dedicated to the memory of Taube, who passed away just recently. I listened to all the praises of her, praises which are of course well deserved, but couldn’t help thinking of how well they applied to you. Besides saying Kaddish, of course we lit a candle as a way of remembering you on this day. But for Mom and I that candle is burning in our hearts every day. You are always with us.