On this special day, we celebrate two of our wonderful girls!! We love you both with all our hearts and wrap you in a great big birthday hug!
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This is Joey at our last dinner together, May 17, 2008. Mama's Fish House, Maui--his favorite restaurant. Double-click to find his memorial brochure
Our only picture with all of us together and Joey and Rachel, who took a break from their road trip to be with us.
I was so blessed to bring this wonderful and funny young man into the world.
Joe is missing his best friend.
They shared the best kind of friendship and rarely missed a chance to be together.
There's nothing they liked better than jamming together.
Joey and his Rachel enjoying nature in the great outdoors-- Double-click to go to their blog about their trip
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
Hebrews 6:19
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
John 14:1-3
Heavy
~ by Mary Oliver
That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying
I went closer,
and I did not die.
A card to me from JoAnne for Joey's 30th Birthday
Joey in Denali, Alaska, Summer 2006
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies..." Jn 11:25
About this Blog
We are in the midst of major life changes triggered by the loss of our only son. He died from an epilepsy-related syndrome called SUDEP--Sudden Unexplained Death by Epilepsy. With absolutely no warning, one day he was alive and the next day he was gone. Our hearts are broken.
From the shores of Maui, to the woods of Virginia, to our ultimate destination in Heaven, we are on a difficult journey of discovery. This blog is a form of therapy for us and a place to also count our blessings. It's not what we planned for our lives--Plan A, but instead we are trusting that God has a Plan B.
From the shores of Maui, to the woods of Virginia, to our ultimate destination in Heaven, we are on a difficult journey of discovery. This blog is a form of therapy for us and a place to also count our blessings. It's not what we planned for our lives--Plan A, but instead we are trusting that God has a Plan B.
Our Beloved Son
This is Joey at our last dinner together, May 17, 2008. Mama's Fish House, Maui--his favorite restaurant. Double-click to find his memorial brochure
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4
Revelation 21:4
All Together, Whistler Christmas, 2006
Our only picture with all of us together and Joey and Rachel, who took a break from their road trip to be with us.
Joey and Mom
I was so blessed to bring this wonderful and funny young man into the world.
Joey and His Dad
Joe is missing his best friend.
Joey and His Adoring Sisters
They shared the best kind of friendship and rarely missed a chance to be together.
The Musicians
There's nothing they liked better than jamming together.
Joey and Rachel's One Year Van Trip--Alaska to Panama, West Coast to East and back again
Joey and his Rachel enjoying nature in the great outdoors-- Double-click to go to their blog about their trip
What Is SUDEP?
Sudden
Unexpected
Death in
Epilepsy
Read more here, from New York University: http://www.med.nyu.edu/cec/epilepsy/sudep.html
Unexpected
Death in
Epilepsy
Read more here, from New York University: http://www.med.nyu.edu/cec/epilepsy/sudep.html
Quotes I Really Love
"In the end everything will be all right, nothing can harm you permanently; no loss is lasting, no defeat more than transitory, no disappointment is conclusive. Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement and death will be part of your journey, but the kingdom of God will conquer all of these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever."
-Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
brothers and sisters, the church is not mistaken.
the church awaits with certainty the hour of redemption.
those who have disappeared will reappear.
the sorrows of these mothers will be turned into easter.
the affliction of this people,which knows not where it goes amid so much affliction, will become easter resurrection
if we join ourselves to christ and hope in him.
Archbishop Oscar Romero
-Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
brothers and sisters, the church is not mistaken.
the church awaits with certainty the hour of redemption.
those who have disappeared will reappear.
the sorrows of these mothers will be turned into easter.
the affliction of this people,which knows not where it goes amid so much affliction, will become easter resurrection
if we join ourselves to christ and hope in him.
Archbishop Oscar Romero
“God’s will was not hidden somewhere ‘out there’ . . . the situations [in which I found myself] were his will for me. What he wanted was for me to accept these situations as from his hands, to let go of the reins and place myself entirely at his disposal.”
Jesuit Walter Ciszek’s (1904–1983)
Promises We Are Holding On To With All That Is Within Us
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
Hebrews 6:19
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
John 14:1-3
Mother's Day Poem
Heavy
~ by Mary Oliver
That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying
I went closer,
and I did not die.
Surely God
had His hand in this,
as well as friends.
had His hand in this,
as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,
was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel
(brave even among the lions),
"It's not the weight you carry
but how you carry it --
books, bricks, grief --
it's all in the way
and my laughter,
as the poet said,
was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel
(brave even among the lions),
"It's not the weight you carry
but how you carry it --
books, bricks, grief --
it's all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it
when you cannot, and would not,
put it down."
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?
Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?
How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
when you cannot, and would not,
put it down."
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?
Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?
How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe
also troubled --
roses in the wind,
the sea geese on the steep waves,
a love to which there is no reply?
that are kind, and maybe
also troubled --
roses in the wind,
the sea geese on the steep waves,
a love to which there is no reply?
"a joey always loves his mama"
A card to me from JoAnne for Joey's 30th Birthday
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?
—Clarence the angel in "It's a Wonderful Life"
—Clarence the angel in "It's a Wonderful Life"
Joey's Memorial Blogsite-doubleclick for link
Joey in Denali, Alaska, Summer 2006
Other Remembering Joey Websites
My Friends and Fellow Grieving Parents
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An Inside Look11 months ago
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Miracles8 years ago
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The Heart Can't Lie!8 years ago
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Eight8 years ago
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You can't hurt steel!12 years ago
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You Are Mine12 years ago
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Kit's birthday15 years ago
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Websites I Like and Use
Blog Archive
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- Two Birthday Girls on One Day!!
- Gannet Girl
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- True Friendship
- Beautiful Baby Marek Joseph
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- The Company of Those Who Understand
- Our First Night Together
- Coming Today!
- Awesome and Beloved Kit Lauer
- Joey's Best Friend
- How It Feels
- The Last Sip of Fun
- Nana Makes the Rounds for the First Day of School
- Beach Baptism
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- The Dream of a Lifetime
- A Candle For Josh's Family
- Comfort in Nature
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3 comments:
Oh my goodness, what a treat, to celebrate our grandchildrens birthdays! They are special to you I can tell. The big hug made me smile also the new pictures that you post are so wonderful. Know I have told you before.
Enjoy the birthday cake and the moment of happiness. I know it does not come easy.
Love Sharon
Happy birthday to those two beauties!
Happy Birthday to you two - sending our hugs from Maui!
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