Cade likes to keep everyone in line. This is a hard task when the two younger ones start to harass one another.
Enjoy the sunshine everyone!Sunday, May 17, 2009
Impossible
Trying to get a good shot of my threesome has proved to be impossible.
Cade likes to keep everyone in line. This is a hard task when the two younger ones start to harass one another.
Enjoy the sunshine everyone!
Cade likes to keep everyone in line. This is a hard task when the two younger ones start to harass one another. Enjoy the sunshine everyone!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Practical Help for Suicide Survivors
In the days since our pastor and his wife lost their son to suicide, I have been thrown back to my own experience with losing Kiley. I have had a few people ask me how they could help this family and my first thought has been that nothing at all helps. This isn't entirely true...and I thought I would leave you guys a few things that did, indeed, help me when I was thrown into the pit of anguish. They may or may not help other suicide survivors, but I thought it might be helpful to have some ideas.
There are many emotions that course through your veins when you hear the news and in the months to follow. The first is shock. This lasts a long time. Everything feels surreal. While you are experiencing shock, other things come as well. Anger at the person that abandoned you. Feelings of rejection. Confusion towards God and His plan. A feeling of a negative stigma that now surrounds your family since suicide is seen in this way. A search for an explanation that you eventually discover will never be satiated. Emotional numbness...an inability to care or make decisions. An attack of "if onlys" will harass the mind. The pain is indescribable...so much so that you perceive a lack of social support, simply because you know no one else truly feels the way you do nor can they understand.
There are things that helped me process my grief. Some practical things that helped me and might help others include:
1. Remember the date of the month that the person died. (If it was the 13th, then make a specific point to call or email or just say that you remember.) The emotions experienced on this "date" will haunt the survivor for months and maybe years later.
2. Say the suicide victim's name. If you are sending a card or an email or calling, use the person's name. Survivors want others to acknowledge that their loved one was REAL and still is REAL. It is a way of honoring the person.
3. Remember the victim's birthday. This day will be horribly hard.
4. Do something special on holidays...days like Christmas and Mother's/Father's Day may forever lose their luster.
5. Presence means more than anything that can be said. For me, just having people around me proved their love. I really didn't care about what people said...I knew there were no answers.
6. Don't forget them! If it has been 3 or 6 months, chances are that they are not indeed better, but now in the throws of grief since the shock has worn off. Continue to provide notes, calls, and your presence. They are needed at this point more than ever.
7. Pray practical verses over them. I had a horrible time with my mind afterwards...my ability to make decisions was nullified. A great verse for this is 2 Timothy 1:7..."For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind." If you find out what their specific struggles are, then you can pray specific verses over them.
Again, these are things that helped me and may or may not apply to other survivors. If you are a suicide survivor and want to comment on something that has helped you, then please do so! You can even leave the comment anonymously if you would like.
Hope this helps!
There are many emotions that course through your veins when you hear the news and in the months to follow. The first is shock. This lasts a long time. Everything feels surreal. While you are experiencing shock, other things come as well. Anger at the person that abandoned you. Feelings of rejection. Confusion towards God and His plan. A feeling of a negative stigma that now surrounds your family since suicide is seen in this way. A search for an explanation that you eventually discover will never be satiated. Emotional numbness...an inability to care or make decisions. An attack of "if onlys" will harass the mind. The pain is indescribable...so much so that you perceive a lack of social support, simply because you know no one else truly feels the way you do nor can they understand.
There are things that helped me process my grief. Some practical things that helped me and might help others include:
1. Remember the date of the month that the person died. (If it was the 13th, then make a specific point to call or email or just say that you remember.) The emotions experienced on this "date" will haunt the survivor for months and maybe years later.
2. Say the suicide victim's name. If you are sending a card or an email or calling, use the person's name. Survivors want others to acknowledge that their loved one was REAL and still is REAL. It is a way of honoring the person.
3. Remember the victim's birthday. This day will be horribly hard.
4. Do something special on holidays...days like Christmas and Mother's/Father's Day may forever lose their luster.
5. Presence means more than anything that can be said. For me, just having people around me proved their love. I really didn't care about what people said...I knew there were no answers.
6. Don't forget them! If it has been 3 or 6 months, chances are that they are not indeed better, but now in the throws of grief since the shock has worn off. Continue to provide notes, calls, and your presence. They are needed at this point more than ever.
7. Pray practical verses over them. I had a horrible time with my mind afterwards...my ability to make decisions was nullified. A great verse for this is 2 Timothy 1:7..."For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind." If you find out what their specific struggles are, then you can pray specific verses over them.
Again, these are things that helped me and may or may not apply to other survivors. If you are a suicide survivor and want to comment on something that has helped you, then please do so! You can even leave the comment anonymously if you would like.
Hope this helps!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sallie Cone Fishing Day!
A couple of years ago, our church partnered with a local elementary school. We chose this school because parental involvement is a little low. We are able to mentor the kids, provide Christmas gifts, and go with them on special field trips. Today, I was able to capture their much anticipated annual fishing day! It was perfect weather and the fish were biting!
15 months
15 months. The number of months that separated you and Kirby. I am not a math genius, but it dawned on me today that as of tomorrow (I think), Kirby will have lived longer than his older sister. Do you still call her your older sis if you are the older one? Another matter of eternity I don't grasp.
15 months. The number of months that our hearts have been broken.
I still love you and miss you. I truly can't wait to see you again.
15 months. The number of months that our hearts have been broken.
I still love you and miss you. I truly can't wait to see you again.Tuesday, May 12, 2009
No Words
The breath of life was sucked out of me today. Our pastor and his sweet wife lost their oldest son. Unexpectedly. Shockingly.
My heart is so heavy. I have a taste of what they are feeling. It is bitter and nothing will ever taste the same. I don't wish this on anyone. Knowing there are no answers makes it sickening.
Don't be deceived. Satan is a vicious lion, seeking to kill. To steal. To destroy. We are in spiritual battle whether we acknowledge it or not.
Please say a prayer for rest. Peace. Faith. Grace. Hope. Protection. Healing. Freedom from condemnation. Sleep. Sound Minds. His Presence. More Hope.
My heart is so heavy. I have a taste of what they are feeling. It is bitter and nothing will ever taste the same. I don't wish this on anyone. Knowing there are no answers makes it sickening.
Don't be deceived. Satan is a vicious lion, seeking to kill. To steal. To destroy. We are in spiritual battle whether we acknowledge it or not.
Please say a prayer for rest. Peace. Faith. Grace. Hope. Protection. Healing. Freedom from condemnation. Sleep. Sound Minds. His Presence. More Hope.
Updates!
*The garage sale was a success! At 3:30 that morning, I listened to the storm roll in and wondered what on earth we were thinking! After in-and-out-of-sleep-prayer, I was PRAISING God at 5 am when it had totally stopped! The sun even popped out later, which brought a ton of people. Three families brought in around $800! Sounds good to me!
*I am getting my hair cut today. I have no vision for my hair right now. This means it will either be trimmed or chopped...I will leave that up to my hairdresser. Hair decisions are just too hard.
*Kris Allen SMILED AND WAVED AT ME during the parade! I have never seen so many people downtown...they are saying around 18-20 thousand! And our downtown area is not all that big! Kris had a dumbfounded look on his face most of the time and I kept seeing him utter the words "wow!" I was happy to see that his wife got to ride in the car with him...finally, she gets to be a part of it! We had AWESOME seats, thanks to dear husband, whose office is downtown. We were up in a breezeway thing and had A/C and didn't have to fight the crowds in order to see! Go KRIS! Vote for him tonight! :)
*The Biggest Loser finale is tonight! I love it when people realize their goals. I am sure I will shed a tear or two.
*I need to renew my driver's license...ick.
*I am in scrapbook/card making mode.
*I need some help: Will you tell me 1 or 2 of your favorite books...preferably Christian or light hearted or mystery...something you think would be fun for a beach trip?
*I am getting my hair cut today. I have no vision for my hair right now. This means it will either be trimmed or chopped...I will leave that up to my hairdresser. Hair decisions are just too hard.
*Kris Allen SMILED AND WAVED AT ME during the parade! I have never seen so many people downtown...they are saying around 18-20 thousand! And our downtown area is not all that big! Kris had a dumbfounded look on his face most of the time and I kept seeing him utter the words "wow!" I was happy to see that his wife got to ride in the car with him...finally, she gets to be a part of it! We had AWESOME seats, thanks to dear husband, whose office is downtown. We were up in a breezeway thing and had A/C and didn't have to fight the crowds in order to see! Go KRIS! Vote for him tonight! :)
*The Biggest Loser finale is tonight! I love it when people realize their goals. I am sure I will shed a tear or two.
*I need to renew my driver's license...ick.
*I am in scrapbook/card making mode.
*I need some help: Will you tell me 1 or 2 of your favorite books...preferably Christian or light hearted or mystery...something you think would be fun for a beach trip?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
I love you Mom!
I wish I could be in your presence today. I hope a week together on the beach makes up for it! I can't express my gratitude to you for mothering me...you were all I needed and still need.
I know I am your daughter...I become more and more like you! We both hate large crowds. We would rather listen than make conversation. We hurt when others hurt. We adore babies and wouldn't mind having a newborn at all times. We love music, but more than that, singing to our King. We love the Word of God, finding truth and learning to apply it. We enjoy steak, shrimp, good coffee, homemade desserts, and movie popcorn. We both love to go to the movies. We love to shop, especially for flip flops because they always fit. We love the beach and sand and waves and horizon. We love to read and relax and remember days gone by.
We are sometimes misunderstood..people taking our quiet spirits and equating them as snobbery. We often become absorbed in someone else's tragedy...wanting to make everything better as our emotions get the best of us. We hate change and getting out of our comfort zones.
Yes, I am definitely yours. I am so glad God made it that way. I love you and honor you today! To me, you are beautiful beyond description, inside and out.
I know I am your daughter...I become more and more like you! We both hate large crowds. We would rather listen than make conversation. We hurt when others hurt. We adore babies and wouldn't mind having a newborn at all times. We love music, but more than that, singing to our King. We love the Word of God, finding truth and learning to apply it. We enjoy steak, shrimp, good coffee, homemade desserts, and movie popcorn. We both love to go to the movies. We love to shop, especially for flip flops because they always fit. We love the beach and sand and waves and horizon. We love to read and relax and remember days gone by.
We are sometimes misunderstood..people taking our quiet spirits and equating them as snobbery. We often become absorbed in someone else's tragedy...wanting to make everything better as our emotions get the best of us. We hate change and getting out of our comfort zones.
Yes, I am definitely yours. I am so glad God made it that way. I love you and honor you today! To me, you are beautiful beyond description, inside and out.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Come One, Come All!!!
Hey friends!
I want you to know about our mulitfamily garage sale tomorrow (Sat.) at our house! It goes from 6:30-11 am. Here are a few things available:
washer
fridge
double stroller
tons of toys...all ages and gender
boy clothes
girl clothes
baby clothes
adult clothes
recliner
end tables
VHS & player
DVD
books
house decor
baby exersaucers
bikes
car seats
my dog Savannah (just teasing, this mud is driving me nuts.)
tons of other stuff being brought later on...
See you bright and early! Rain or shine. But, please, say a prayer for no rain! :)
I want you to know about our mulitfamily garage sale tomorrow (Sat.) at our house! It goes from 6:30-11 am. Here are a few things available:
washer
fridge
double stroller
tons of toys...all ages and gender
boy clothes
girl clothes
baby clothes
adult clothes
recliner
end tables
VHS & player
DVD
books
house decor
baby exersaucers
bikes
car seats
my dog Savannah (just teasing, this mud is driving me nuts.)
tons of other stuff being brought later on...
See you bright and early! Rain or shine. But, please, say a prayer for no rain! :)
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Mud Bath!
Here is one little fella that doesn't care about all of the inches of rain we have gotten! When life gives you an endless amount of rain, have a mud bath!
Hometown Boy's Schedule!
KRIS' SCHEDULE*
THURSDAY
9:00pm - Kris appears live on FOX16 News at Nine
FRIDAY
11:30am - Kris performs live at Riverfest Amphitheater
3:00pm - Kris performs live at UCA
5:00pm - Kris Allen parade in downtown Conway
5:30pm - Kris Allen performs live at Simon Park in Conway
*Subject to change
THURSDAY
9:00pm - Kris appears live on FOX16 News at Nine
FRIDAY
11:30am - Kris performs live at Riverfest Amphitheater
3:00pm - Kris performs live at UCA
5:00pm - Kris Allen parade in downtown Conway
5:30pm - Kris Allen performs live at Simon Park in Conway
*Subject to change
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Birging
Oh my goodness! Kris made it to the top three! My humble boy is pulling through! Beth Moore would tell me that I am birging which stands for: "Basking in reflected glory." I don't care. He comes from a kick awesome city and I am going to see him in concert! Whoo-hoo! Way to go, Kris!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Eli's Luau
Eli's favorite game...could it be because he was the fastest?
Nothing prettier than cut up cuties/tangerines. 
Eli and his buddy, Burns! I never did see Burns's eyes! Ha! We laughed at their matching shirts...totally unplanned!
Days like today make me long to be in kindergarten again! Carefree, fancy free, eat whatever you want because you will run it off in the next minute...those kind of days! All of Eli's kindergarten peers celebrated the end of the year by having a luau! (Which also made me long for Hawaii.)
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