Remembering Jonathan Yost: 1 Year Anniversary

Saturday’s Water Drop: One year ago we lost one of the most inspiring & motivational people we have ever met. Our brother Jonathan Daniel Yost.
Jonathan was the first person many of us met when we came to Border Angels. His infectious energy & ability to reach the part of us that had been longing to get involved was unlike anything we’d ever encountered before. Jonathan saw in us what we weren’t ready to see in ourselves, he challenged us to face this mission not just with words but with direct action, which changed our lives forever. Jonathan was serious, focused, and intense. To hear him speak was to be transported in empathy & motivation. For those of us who loved him and knew him well, there was also the side of him that was silly, funny, and caring. We miss all of him today & always will.
We will never know the extent of the impact that Jonathan has had in the desert & on this earth. Every gallon we leave & every one we find consumed is tied to his energy & legacy. This is why we say that revolutionaries never die, because everyone who Jonathan inspired now carries a piece of that with them & can’t help but impart in with others. This is how we continue paying respect to our brother who was never satisfied with complacency, who always pushed us to do more.
Everyone, please check on your strong friends, your advocate friends, your outspoken friends, your healer friends. Show up for them even when they say they don’t need it. The world feels tense & depressing often, it can even feel hopeless. Check on your friends who speak passionately & hopefully about the well-being of everyone but themselves. Life was already difficult and complicated a year ago when Jonathan left us, and it’s gotten exponentially so. We are isolated quite literally & more inundated with stress and injustice than ever before, if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by it don’t wait for anything or anyone, check on yourself. You are never alone, we are better together, and the world is more beautiful with all of us in it. It’s Mental Health Awareness month & if there’s anything Jonathan loved it was raising awareness. Love each other. We love you.