God is still at work!

Jodie was talking with one of her classmates and she said she was reading a very good book called "Praying for your future husband". Jodie asked "by Robin Jones Gunn?" and the girl said "yes!". Jodie said, "did you know that me and my sister are talked about in that book?". Her friend was very excited and when she read the sections she said that she was inspired by the story about Beth and wanted to write letters to her future husband. Wow!! This was so exciting to have Robin's book impact someone else that we knew. The girl said the book belonged to her sister. Again, Beth's story lives on in another life! How exciting to see how God continues to unfold his purpose! Here is a picture of Jodie with Robin Jones Gunn in Vancouver Washington in August 2010!

Wow, I am going to be okay.

Recently I went to a lunch with Jodie and her Spanish Class. They were there to practice ordering food in Spanish and I was there to transport and enjoy the moment. I ate lunch with Jodie's classroom teacher, her Spanish teacher and another parent. What an amazing time. We seemed to all have a great time and shared many stories back and forth about adoption (one lady had adopted a child), about missions, about school, about life. I realized that in the two years since Beth had died that this was the first time I had been in a group that I wasn't upset mentally or emotionally about "how everyone else could have a normal life and that mine would never be the same", first time that I was able to converse with others and not feel the "pain of my loss" wondering if I should bring up Elizabeth's name and tell them the story. For the first time I felt that with God "I was going to be okay", that "I would survive".

JODIE

This is a collage of pictures.  I was looking for pictures of Jodie for her 8th grade graduation slide show.
She sure has changed.

Memories!!!!

Memories!!! Just wanted to add some pictures.

2012 first update!

Wow, it is already 2012 and February is soon to arrive. We survived the Amazing Snowstorm that hit us about a week ago. We lost some trees in our yard and some of our shrubs were damanged. We have a big cleanup ahead of us.
Christmas this year was the best ever and the most difficult ever. You see, last Christmas, was our first Christmas without Beth and Grandma, and I think we were all still in some kind of shock. This Christmas it was reality time and it was painfully clear that we had many Christmases ahead of us that we would feel the losses again and again. I tried to make this Christmas---"no stress"--- if that is possible.
When I reflect on 2011, we had a lot of amazing things come our way and one of the biggest was purchasing our first home. To update you, when we moved to Lakewood, WA, we rented a house, with the intent to buy, that was directly behind my father-in-law's house. I can look off my back deck, look over the fence and see the small hill that Michael, Elizabeth and Jodie all played on. I can almost hear the sounds of their laughter, as they played there on many trips to see Grandpop and Grandmama. Many times I looked at this big house across the lawn but never knew that someday my deepest prayer would be answered.
Next month, it will be two years since we lost our dear sweet Elizabeth. I cannot believe it has been that long. Recently, for the first time, I was able to go into her room and organize some of her items. I had to do it quickly, but I managed to sort through some of her things. I know she is not "in" her personal things, but it sure seems she is alive in my heart, when I touch her trinkets, her pictures, her clothes, her stuffed animals.
We all miss her so very. very much and look forward to the reunion in HEAVEN!