An Unexpected Ministry

If anyone would have asked me fifteen months ago what my ministry would be right now, I would have never guessed that it would have been reaching out to other widows. In all honesty, I would have never chosen such a ministry for myself for obvious reasons. I would have much preferred to be encouraging married people, or helping new moms get through the transition of infancy. Even though I wouldn’t have chosen this ministry, I know that it is the one that the Lord has called me to. It is the one that has blessed me more than any other ministry I have had before. I have found more healing and have experienced God’s love more through helping others in my situation than anything else. I believe that God performs a supernatural work in our lives when we take the focus off of ourselves and the hurt of our own situation and turn around and help others. I see the hand of God in this ministry and it is so humbling. I have had more widows (several of them young with small children) come into my life in the last year than even seems possible. It kills me to see someone hurting like I hurt almost fifteen months ago. It’s devastating. But, because of what the Lord has brought me through, I believe that I can reach those people in a way that other people can’t. I pray that I can be a voice of hope and love to those who feel like they can’t make it through the next five minutes. I pray that I would point them to the ultimate source of love and encouragement – Jesus Christ. The Lord brings healing to me every time I reach out to someone else. This new ministry is an ongoing reminder of God’s faithfulness and love. He never left me. He is still here with me. He has already gone before me. He is so good. My mother-in-law shared this devotional from Greg Laurie with me today. I thought it was so good and spoke my heart better than I could ever articulate.

Why Does God Allow Trials In Our Lives?

There are many things that could be said in response to the question of why God allows trials in our lives, but here is one you may not have considered: God allows trials and hardship in your life so you can help others. As a result, whatever difficulty, challenge, or suffering you may be going through need not be wasted.

Paul writes, "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer" (2 Corinthians 1:4-7 NLT).

There is no better time to minister to others than when we are hurting

It seems that when we are in need, when we are facing crisis, the world should just stop what it is doing and think about us. We think that we need to be cared for, encouraged, even catered to. But the reality is that when you are hurting, if you will reach out to someone else, you yourself will be replenished and helped. Jesus said, "If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving–large or small–it will be used to measure what is given back to you" (Luke 6:38 NLT).

There is always someone worse off than you

After my beloved son Christopher was called home to heaven, people commended me and our family for continuing to minister, despite our pain over his sudden passing. While I appreciate those kind words, I must tell you that it actually helps me to help others. My heart goes out to other people who are suffering like it never has before, especially if it is the death of a child. So it helps me to help them. Even writing these words help me, knowing that they may minister to someone, somewhere.
I'm sure you know of someone who is hurting right now. Perhaps they have cancer, or have recently lost a loved one, or their marriage has unraveled. Go to them and seek to be a friend and encourage them today.

Don't waste your experiences

God is in control of your life, and allows trials to come our way in order to strengthen us spiritually and make us more like Jesus. Whatever you are facing, know that someone else is facing it too. Perhaps you could share with them some of the things the Lord has shared with you, and "be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."

I am not alone

I am so thankful for loving family and good friends. I don't know how I'd get through this life that the Lord has chosen for me without them. Christmas turned out to be a nice day. We had a house full of family and friends, which is such a blessing. It was a day filled with joy and laughter. I wasn't alone, and you can't imagine what that means to me.

I sat through a Christmas Eve service without Jimmy for the very first time in fourteen years. He wasn't there holding my hand through the service like he always used to do. I missed him so much as we lit our candles and sang Christmas carols. It broke my heart, but praise the Lord I wasn't alone. I had my precious friends Jeff and Ginger on one side of me and my sweet in-laws on the other side. What a comfort it was to just have them there.

My heart broke as I wrapped the boys' Christmas presents on Christmas Eve without Jimmy. I missed how silly and giddy he got the closer it got to Christmas morning. He always stayed up late to make sure that everything in the house was just as it should be before he went to bed. I longed for him to be there, but thank you Jesus, I wasn't alone. My sister came upstairs and endured wrapping tons of presents with me (she got stuck with lots of oddly shaped boxes that aren't so easy to wrap!). She made me laugh and kept me company. I love her for the amazing woman she has become and the source of strength she is for me.

When the boys woke up Christmas morning, I wished more than anything that Jimmy was there to see them. I wanted the boys to wake up to their dad fidgeting with the video camera while they were anxiously waiting to tear into their gifts. My heart hurt, but God is good, I wasn't alone. When my boys woke up on Christmas morning, they didn't see their dad, but they did get to see a bunch of family that love them more than they could ever know. They woke up to smiles and laughter (and lots of presents!). They laughed and smiled. It did my heart good.

The Lord was so good to me when He put me in the family that He put me in. He blessed me abundantly when he surrounded me with the friends that are in my life. Each and every one of them have taken the edge off of the pain of the last eleven months. I truly don't know where I would be or how I would have survived this season of my life without them. Thank you to all of my precious family and friends. I love each and every one of you SO very much! I pray that as a new year begins, the Lord would bless you for all that you have done for me and for standing by my side. Thank you SO MUCH for not letting me walk through this alone!

An Amazing Act of Kindness

Even though I was a bit apprehensive about Thanksgiving this year, I made it through the day just fine. Bev, Les, Vic, Adam and my mom were all here and we ended up having a wonderful day. Of course it was hard not having Jimmy here, but I was so thankful that it turned out to be such a nice and peaceful day. I was so concerned about making it through Thanksgiving that I didn’t give much thought to the day after. Every year Jimmy would set up the Christmas tree, and I would spend the afternoon decorating it while he went outside to put lights on the house. We would put on Christmas music and get the whole house ready for Christmas. There was something about this time of year that just brought out the best in Jimmy. He would do silly things like always make sure this little bubble light that we had was plugged in and turned on. He would go shopping for our dog, Ranger, and make sure that he had a new collar and treats to “unwrap” on Christmas day. He was a frugal guy all year long, except when it came to Christmas. He would get all caught up in the spirit of the season and the cost of things didn’t matter quite as much when it meant that he got to put a smile on the face of someone that he loved. This was by far our favorite time of year. It’s hard for me to believe that just one year ago, this is what was going on in our house:



This year, the day after Christmas was a tough one. I was just filled with a lot of emotion that I wasn’t expecting. I had to figure out how to put up our Christmas tree on my own. It was so heavy, and I couldn’t figure out how to plug the silly thing in. I got so frustrated and upset that Jimmy wasn’t around. I was in tears when I sent a prayer up to the Lord explaining to Him that I had no clue where the silly plug for the tree topper was and begged Him to help me find it. It wasn’t long before the Lord, in His sweet mercy, showed me where the plug was. I managed to get the tree up. Emotionally, it was such a tough thing, but I made it through. The part of the day that broke my heart into a thousand pieces was when Braxton asked if I was going to put lights up on the house. I had to explain to him that I had no clue how to put lights on the house. He was so disappointed. It killed me. We left to go to Louisiana this past week and my sweet friend, Tianne called to check on me. In the process of chatting with her, I spilled my guts and told her about my rough day. When I hung up the phone with her, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that she would orchestrate what she did. With the help of another friend of mine, Dan Barnes, the two of them certainly made up for my bad day and then some. I pulled into my driveway after being gone for several days and came home to this:



I was in complete shock! I cannot believe what they did for me and my boys. What an amazing act of kindness! My friend Carol said, “It was a God thing in lights.” I couldn’t have said it better myself! Tianne and Dan – THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! There are just not enough words to thank you! I wish you could have seen the excitement on Braxton and Auston’s faces and heard their squeals when they saw the lights. It was priceless! You guys are an amazing testament to God’s love, and I am SO thankful to have you both in my life!

Getting in the Holiday Spirit!

Growing up, I spent every Christmas at my Aunt Rose and Uncle Jimmie’s house. On Christmas Eve, my Aunt Rose, my cousin Alida, my sister Victoria and I would spend the entire day baking all sorts of goodies for our extended family that would come by and visit later that evening. It was one of my favorite Christmas memories. This year, I decided that I wanted to relive old times and ring in the Christmas season by baking with my family. So, on Wednesday morning, mom and I packed up the car and the boys and headed to Louisiana for some fun. When we got there, I knew that we were in for some SERIOUS baking when I overheard my Aunt Rose recap to my cousin Alida all of the groceries that she had already purchased. In that list were TEN pounds of sugar and TEN pounds of flour – I kid you not! If you know my Aunt Rose, this would just make you laugh because you would understand that she does NOTHING halfway. Her kitchen seriously looked like a stocked grocery store when we got there. Alida and I woke up early Thursday morning and started baking while my mom, Aunt Rose and my Aunt Dot watched our kids. We baked from around 9:00am to 11:30pm – once again, NOT kidding! We had a blast, and I laughed until my face hurt! It was just what I needed to get in the holiday spirit! My Aunt Dot came into the kitchen and helped us at one point. She made sure that our kitchen was clean and sanitary - she recommended that I pull my hair back, and I ended up wearing plastic gloves!! She warned me that if I had been working in her kitchen that I would have had to wear a hair net! I’m so glad we weren’t in her kitchen! Hairnets are NOT cute! If you know Aunt Dot, I know you’re laughing at this. She is such a nut! So, we baked all of our yummy (and sanitary!) goodies and packaged them all up on pretty trays to be shared with our family and friends. Mom, Aunt Rose and Aunt Dot spent the day driving all over town delivering our treats. From the sounds of it, they had a ball and people were surprised and so excited to get our trays of sweets. It made for a super fun getaway! Thank you Aunt Rose, Alida, Aunt Dot and Uncle Jimmie for such a wonderful week! I love you all a ton and look forward to doing it again next year!!! ;)


Me & Alida ready to get to work!


A small sampling of what Aunt Rose purchased for us to bake


Keepin' it clean!


Our trays ready to be delivered


Braxton, Auston & Caleb all bundled up for a wagon ride


A foxy picture of my Aunt Rose taken by yours truly


Aunt Dot, Aunt Rose & Mom

My Sister

Many of you that know me know my sister Victoria. We have certainly been through a lot together. When we were kids we were arch enemies. She was constantly that little girl that was always copying me or getting into my stuff. She was a tiny little kid, but certainly one of the toughest kids I knew. We fought almost daily and constantly bombarded Mom with phone calls at work about the chaos at home. She was feisty, free spirited and fearless. I was a rules follower, people pleaser, and scared of everything. We were like oil and water. When I left for college she told me that she couldn’t wait for me to leave. I couldn’t wait to go. So I headed off to college and that changed everything. As the miles grew between us, our bond grew stronger and we began to let go of all of the childish battles that were fought between us. We began to realize how much we loved each other. Now she is no longer my pesky little sister, she is one of my very best friends. As an adult, I came to realize that no matter what life threw our way (and trust me it threw a lot!), we always had each other. She and I have been through so much together, and I think that is what has made our bond today so strong. We have each other’s backs – no matter what. After Jimmy passed away, I began to appreciate and love my sister more than I ever thought I could. She became such a source of strength for me. I always thought I’d be the big sister – always the one to be the encourager and advice giver. During this trying time, my little sister became my rock. She prayed for me, called me, loved me and came to be by my side. She slept right next to me for the week after Jimmy died. Once again, she was right there by my side, every step of the way. I don’t know what I would do without her. She is one of the most amazing and precious people I know! Today is Victoria’s birthday, and I want her to know how VERY much she is loved. She is the best sister and aunt in the world! Happy birthday, Victoria! I love you more than you will EVER know!!!

Dorothy York

Please remember the entire York family in your prayers today. Maw Maw York (Dorothy) was called home to be with the Lord today. Please especially pray for Mr. Les, his sister Cindy and his brothers Bobby and Kelly as they lay their precious mother to rest. I know that she was greeted at heaven's gates by one of the most beautiful smiles I've ever seen. I pray that she is dancing in heaven as she embraces her loved ones that went there before her. We love you Maw Maw. You will be greatly missed!

An Awesome Day

Last Monday, I had the ENORMOUS pleasure of attending the Jimmy York Memorial Golf Tournament. My friends Jeff Pelletier, David Rice, Todd Starnes and Todd Hamilton spent the last several months working their fingers to the bone, turning a simple concept of a memorial golf tournament into a first class event complete with lunch, dinner, prizes and a silent auction. The Lord had his hand all over this special day. The weather could have not been more perfect. It was sunny and in the 70’s – very impressive for an unpredictable Texas November! Bridlewood Golf Course was absolutely beautiful, and there was a spirit of excitement and joy that filled my heart to overflowing from the time I got there until the time that I left. Throughout the day, I had the awesome privilege of getting to hang out with the most amazing group of 144 golfers I’ve ever seen. I was overwhelmed to see so many of our precious friends and family come out to be a part of this event. There were even a few people there that didn’t even know Jimmy, which melted my heart even more. It was so completely humbling to see so many people band together to help support me and my sweet boys and to honor Jimmy’s memory. It was a beautiful thing to see. I know that Jimmy would be so ridiculously proud of his amazing friends for doing this for us. I’m sure that he would have loved nothing more than to be swinging his golf clubs out there with all of you. Thank you Todd, Andy and Ray for using Jimmy’s clubs on your first tee off. What a sweet way to remember Jimmy (although from the sounds of the way you guys played, he may have wanted to beat you with them! Ha Ha! J/K!). Thank you also Mark McCord for showing me that your ball marker was “JY”. That is so precious of you and touched my heart so very much! I spent the day just being in awe of such an amazing event. I want to extend a HUGE thank you from the BOTTOM OF MY HEART to ALL of you who helped make the golf tournament such an unbelievable event. Thank you for your efforts, prayers, participation and contributions. It will certainly be a memory to last a lifetime for me. It was an absolutely awesome day!


Jeff Pelletier & Me


Putting Contest


Kevin hoping to get the winning putt


Craig Holst won the putting contest!


Gentlemen, start your golf carts!


And they're off! (Josh & Shelby)


Carl Wayne Bishop played golf on his 40th birthday!!


Vic, Ginger & Me


Ray, Todd & Andy


Mr. Les giving Mrs. Bev a golf lesson


Jeff, Todd, David & Todd - You guys are AWESOME! There are just NO words to express my gratitude to each of you!! Thank you a million times over!

Precious Pictures

Last night, the boys and I had our pictures taken by my sweet friend Elizabeth that recently started her own photography business. I was overjoyed at how our pictures turned out. I know that I'm just slightly biased, but I think I have two of the cutest kids on the planet! Thank you Elizabeth for turning our chaos into little works of art!!

Braxton's First Soccer Game

Braxton’s first soccer game was on Saturday, and it was…well…umm… let’s just say it was entertaining. Braxton has never played soccer before and he is certainly NOT an aggressive kid. When we signed up for soccer, all I knew was that he liked to run. I figured that was enough of a prerequisite for him to play soccer in the 6 and under league. I’m beginning to think that that may have been an incorrect assessment on my part. I should have known that this was going to be an interesting season when I told the coach that Braxton was a bit timid and not aggressive and he said to me, “Well, it should be interesting watching him play soccer!” I also should have known that when I got his uniform that he may be a bit smaller than the other players in his league. I told the coach to order him the smallest shorts that they had, and apparently that wasn’t small enough. His shorts fell right off of him. His shirt also hung to his knees. I searched high and low to find him some shorts that fit – no luck. He ended up wearing shorts that were too big and made him look as if he were wearing some sort of strange looking skirt or something. See Exhibit A:



When we showed up for the big game, the first thing I noticed was that the other kids all looked a little bigger and certainly had better fitting uniforms. That should have clued me in right away that we were in for some trouble. The game started, and I quickly praised the Lord that Braxton wasn’t of “starting player” caliber, because within the first five seconds of the game, our opposing team’s star player got the ball and headed straight down the field and scored a goal. This kid was two head lengths taller than every other kid on the team and had obviously kicked a soccer ball a time or two before. As the game progressed, he began kicking kid’s legs out from under them. Any time he was around a player on our team, somehow they ended up on the ground. Poor Braxton stood and watched in horror as I smiled and tried to encourage him that everything was going to be ok and that this was “fun.” After watching a few more minutes (and about ten more goals for the other team!), I began to get scared for my sweet little boy. I ended up telling him that he never even had to touch the ball. He just needed to run back and forth with the other players as fast as he could. Sure enough, he got called in to play for the second quarter and he did exactly that! One of the players on the other team was playing defense and was covering Braxton. He got all up in Braxton’s personal space (another issue we’ll discuss at a later date) and Braxton gave me the “Mommy, I’m not liking this” look! He tried to politely back away from him and didn’t want much to do with the whole defense thing. See Exhibit B



My sweet boy ended up playing in two quarters of the game and managed to stay on both feet the entire game. In the end, the Fire Ants only scored two goals on Saturday. One goal was scored by the coach’s son. The other was accidentally kicked in by the opposing team. I lost track of what the final score was. I’m thinking it was like 600-2 or something like that. After the game, Braxton said that he had a good time, so I guess that’s all that matters. I am thinking that this is going to be one crazy season!

First Day of School

Braxton had his first day of PreK-5 today. I can’t help but be in shock at how quickly the last five years have flown by. I feel like I blink and he’s a year older and an inch taller. He is getting so big! He looks more and more like his daddy every day, too. Last week he was sitting in a little chair that his Aunt Vic bought him and had his long legs crossed, just like Jimmy used to do. It’s crazy how no one taught him how to do that. It’s just in the genes! He also started soccer two weeks ago and loves getting to wear his cleats. He says that they make him run faster. He’s so cute and constantly keeps me smiling (like when he tells Auston every night before bedtime, “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the BAD bugs bite!”). I’m just too proud of my sweet boy! Here are some pictures of his first day of school and his newest toy (it's a hit with all of the kids in the neighborhood and Pops will be jealous when he sees it)!!

An Expensive Snack

Yesterday, Auston enjoyed the most expensive meal he’ll ever eat. No, it wasn’t a steak from Del Frisco’s, or a big spoonful of caviar, it was this:



Yep, that’s a mushroom. We had a few of these growing in our back yard, and Auston decided to find out if they tasted good. Apparently these silly things can be really poisonous and when your child eats one, poison control recommends that you quickly take a little trip to the emergency room. Auston was given a charcoal and cranberry juice concoction to absorb all of the toxins from the mushroom. He also had to have some blood work done. Thankfully he is doing just fine now. Good times! There’s certainly never a dull moment with this kid!



Here's a picture of Auston after enjoying his charcoal treat, complete with charcoal residue on his mouth.



The EMT that took his vitals apparently found some humor in the reason that we were there.

Getting SO Big!

Auston is learning to sing his ABC's, so I thought I'd share his talent with all of you! At 16 months old, I think it's pretty impressive (and oh so cute)!!

Six Months

February 7, 2009 at the Dallas Children's Museum

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Today marks the six month anniversary since Jimmy’s death. I am still in shock that how in a matter of minutes, your life can be completely changed. I’ve always heard the saying that “The Lord will never give you more than you can handle,” and I know that I’ve said that phrase to others dealing with tough times. There have been so many times in this journey that I have said, “Why on earth did the Lord think I could handle this?” My sweet friend Ginger, who is such an amazing Christian, pointed out to me recently that the saying “the Lord will never give you more than you can handle” just isn’t Biblical. It doesn’t say that anywhere in the Bible. The Lord promises that we will not be tempted more than we can handle, and He will always give us a way out, but it doesn’t say that He won’t give us more strife/grief/pain than we can handle. A light bulb went off in my head when she said that, and I realized that the Lord DOES give us more than we can handle. He does it so we will learn to cast our worries and burdens upon Him so he can handle it for us. There is NO WAY I could have handled Jimmy’s death in my own strength. In my own strength, I shudder to think of where I'd be - not functioning as a human or dead. The Lord has carried me through this each and every step of the way. He has given me peace, rest and hope even though the walls of my world seem to be crashing down around me. Thank you Ginger for pointing that out to me. As I reflect on so many big events (my birthday, our 12th anniversary, Braxton's 5th birthday, etc), it made me realize that in my own strength, I can bear nothing. But with the Lord’s strength, “I can do all things!” Phillipians 4:13

29 (For the 3rd Time Around!!)

I love to laugh. Life without laughter just isn’t worth living! In light of the difficult year I’ve had, I wanted to have a fun birthday this year. My wish was to have a great time with my friends and share lots of laughs and smiles, and we did just that. My sweet friend Trena’s birthday is the day before mine (11th), so we decided to host a Backyard Birthday Bash for the two of us and invite some of our friends to come and celebrate with us. We had an awesome time and I certainly got my fill of laughs! I came home and thought about all of the amazing people that came to celebrate our birthdays with us, and all I could feel was completely blessed! Thank you to each and every one of you who took the time to celebrate with us! I love each of you SO very much and am so humbled that the Lord would put so many precious people in my life at one time! Thanks to everyone for making my birthday a great one!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

SOOOOO Proud!

Braxton just finished his first round of swimming lessons, and I could not be more proud of him. Just two weeks ago, he was PETRIFIED of the water and wouldn't DARE get his face wet. All play dates at pools consisted of him crying on the side of the pool and begging me to go home. After eight lessons, he was dunking his head under water and jumping off of the side of the pool - AMAZING! Mrs. Ladonna is a miracle worker!!

A Priceless Gift

Today my friend Laura Whittington brought me the most priceless and precious gift. It was a book that was written by over thirty people about the type of man that Jimmy was. Each person wrote a letter about how they felt about Jimmy and the impact that he had on their lives. I am completely in awe of each person that took the time to do such an amazing thing for me and my boys. I just wanted to extend a HUGE thank you to all of you who contributed to this book. What a priceless gift it will be for Braxton and Auston to have and read. It will mean so much to them to have not just my account of who their dad was, but the account of so many other people. Laura told me that there was a similar theme of who Jimmy was througout the book, and after reading it, she was so right. There were certain qualities about Jimmy that everyone seemed to notice:

He loved the Lord
He had an infectious smile
He truly listened when people spoke to him
He had an ability to make everyone feel like they belong
He always took things in stride
He had his priorities in order

I pray that as my boys grow older that they will read these letters and notice the same story being told about their dad, just by different people. I pray that they admire the qualities that everyone saw in Jimmy and understand that those qualities are what made him such an amazing man. I pray that they know what a man of integrity their dad was. I pray that they want to know and love the Lord that their dad loved so much, and I pray that they long to serve Him. I pray that they see similar qualities in themselves and strive to be amazing men, just like their dad!

Laura, thank you SO much for coordinating the creation of this book. Thank you for driving out to "Oklahoma" to deliver it to me! Thank you for being such a precious friend!

Auston Luke!!!

Auston’s at it again! What am I going to do with this kid?! His shananagins are giving me fits! I guess he thought that jumping out of his crib and launching himself from his highchair wasn’t quite enough to give me a heart attack. He has now found pleasure in rough housing in his crib. Twice in the last week and a half I have gone in to wake him up from his nap only to find his crib covered in blood and his mouth full of blood. The first time it happened, I panicked and began frantically searching his body for signs of injury. After much investigation, I concluded that he apparently hit his mouth on his crib. Everything appeared to be fine (except for the stained sheets!), so I breathed a sigh of relief and went about our day. Fast forward a week and I find the whole massacre scene again – blood, blood and more blood. At this point I’m wondering what is wrong with my kid. Why on EARTH would he do this again? I’m thinking that he has certainly figured out by now that bloodying himself all up is no fun and SURELY he won’t do it again. Fast forward to today. Fortunately there was no blood today, but I found something even worse – BROKEN TEETH! That’s right, he has now chipped both of his front teeth. What am I going to do? Are there cribs out there that are made of foam? Mercy! Auston turned 15 months old today. I shudder to think of what the next 15 years may bring! I think I see a lot of trips to the E.R. and dentist in our future!!

God Bless America

With all that has happened in the last five months, I have come to appreciate the preciousness of life in ways that I never had before. With July 4th around the corner, I began thinking about this great country and what a privilege it is to live here. I am so grateful for the men who gave their lives to allow us all of the freedoms that we have today. I can't imagine the courage it takes to be a soldier and get deployed to some of the most dangerous places on earth. I appreciate what so many people in the armed forces have done to keep me and my family safe and enjoying life in America. As the 4th approaches, I hope that everyone takes a moment out of their holiday festivities to say a little prayer of protection and thanks for our soldiers. I especially would like to thank two soldiers in my family. The first is my dad. He was in the Army and served overseas in Germany in the early seventies. The other is Jimmy's grandfather, Jimmy Dodd (we know him as Papa). He served our country in World War II. Thank you both for giving of yourselves so we could be blessed to live in such an awesome country! May God bless you and God bless America!

Father's Day

Being Father’s Day, I thought about Jimmy A LOT today. I thought about the day that both of our boys were born. Jimmy was the proudest dad on earth and was grinning from ear to ear when he heard each of them scream for the first time (unfortunately his enthusiasm for their screams dwindled quickly from there!). He was so excited about the fact that he had two little boys to watch sports with and mold into raging sports fanatics like he was. He was such an awesome dad. Nothing made my heart overflow with love for him more than when he was being Daddy to our boys. Everyday when Jimmy left for work, he and Braxton would give each other a thumbs up. Not just down the driveway, but all the way out of our neighborhood until Jimmy’s white pickup was no longer in sight. It was so cute to watch Braxton holding his hand up high until his daddy’s truck was gone. Jimmy brought tears to my eyes when putting Auston to bed one evening. It should have only taken him five minutes, but after about fifteen minutes, he was still in Auston’s room. I went upstairs to check on him, and I found him sitting in the rocking chair in the dark just rocking Auston. He looked up and told me that he wanted to just take a moment to rock him and hold him. My heart melted.

The night Jimmy passed away, one thought raced through my mind a million times – “Lord, how on earth am I going to raise these boys alone?” Even though I was in a complete state of panic, the Lord knew that I was not alone in this journey. He had already put people in place that would help me lead these two precious boys. The Lord put an entire brigade of amazing men (Pops, Paw Paw Dup, Papa Dodd, Uncle Adam, Uncle Kevin and COUNTLESS men at our church) in our lives to show these boys what it means to be a man of God, a devoted husband, a loyal friend and a loving father. What a blessing!









Instead of focusing on the sadness of Jimmy being gone today, I choose to focus on how blessed my children are to be surrounded by Godly men to help them as they grow up. I choose to believe that my boys have a special place in the Lord's heart (Psalm 10:14). I choose to accept God’s word and know that he has a HOPE and FUTURE for my children (Jeremiah 29:11). I choose to not be afraid (Isaiah 41:10). I choose to embrace the hope of complete restoration for our family (Job 42:12). More than anything, on this Father's Day, I choose to rely on my Heavenly Father to be the ultimate father to my children. His love is perfect, it is sufficient, it is unconditional and it never fails.