Changing One Picture At A Time

Part of the Transition

Last week at this time we were on our way home after a 4 day vacation with Kevin and his daughter. The six of us had more fun than we could have imagined. When we all are together, it's like we always have been and always will be...

Of course, I took tons of pictures of everything we saw and everything we did on our vacation. I will never regret taking pictures that will last a lifetime of the memories we are blessed with daily. We have several very good pictures of all of us together, just the 4 girls, and some of just Kevin and I. I made two photo albums, one for each house and we already have laughed and enjoyed looking through them and talking about the amazing time God gave us. Now, how to display the pictures to the world?

Our house has always been full of family pictures around, being updated as the years go by and as the girls grow up. About a year ago, I felt it was time to take down our big family picture in the living room of Mike and I with our girls. They were so young and I had a really nice picture of them and I to replace it with, so it made the "transition" a little easier. I asked their input before doing so and they were totally good with it. We still have a few pictures on the fridge with daddy and another in the foyer of him with his sweet little girls. I know we will always have some pictures of daddy out, but they are slowly making their way off walls and out of frames. Other than that...our house has memories of him and not many pictures.

Now, our house is being transitioned into new memories being lived out and made daily. As I slowly turn the old pictures over and replace them with the new, like the vacation pictures from last week...it's an awesome feeling...a feeling of a new life ahead. We will always hang onto our pictures and memories of the past, but it's also so important to enJOY the blessings of today that God has given to us. We will always cherish the new and the old, both pictures and memories. As I change out the photos, we will never change out our memories; we are only adding to the photos and memories of the past.

May you find yourself reflecting today upon God's blessings to you through old and new photos as He is such an amazing God that does just that...BLESSES US ABUNDANTLY~

Worshiping...Side by Side...

 Worshiping...Side by Side...

A few weeks ago, God answered yet another prayer for me. Kevin and I worshiped in the house of the Lord together for the first time. This meant to me more than words can say.

In the past, Mike and I always attended church with the girls as a family. I knew it was a special time out of our week, but had no idea just how special until he died. (You can read more about this here.) I struggled many, many Sundays in church without him. I would look around and see husbands and wives joining together in prayer and singing praises and would get a lump in my throat and want to cry.

Kevin and I have prayed together every single day since we have met and finally had the opportunity to worship together. Side by side in the same pew...praying and singing together. It gives me chills remembering the feeling I had that first Sunday. He is a man of God and for that I am forever grateful. He joined my girls and I at our church and got to meet my church family. A few weeks later, I joined him and his whole family at his church. It's amazing how churches have different routines in the way a service is done, but the meat and potatoes of the belief of Jesus Christ being our Lord and Savior is the same. I enjoyed visiting Kevin's church very much. After church, we had dinner at his parent's house with his parents and his sister's family. I love the "family table"...especially after Sunday service.

Many married couples don't worship together for one reason or another. I had that blessing when Mike was here and once again, God has blessed me...worshiping side by side together in the Lord's house. After attending together, we reflect upon the sermon many times throughout the next week and help one another with God's direction in our lives through His word. I look forward to a lifetime of worshiping side by side...

Pictures Speak Or Do They?

Pictures Speak 1,000 Words Or No Words At All

Many of you are not going to agree with this post and wonder why I did what I did yesterday, but just stick with me.

The night after Mike's accident, the officer that investigated his accident came to our house to speak to me about how it all happened and to return Mike's wallet and cell phone. (He had to go through his cell to be sure he wasn't using it at the time of the accident, which he wasn't.) He also mentioned that night, over two years ago, that he had taken pictures at the scene for the investigation and that he didn't suggest me looking at them at that time, but they would be on file forever if I ever wanted to see them. I have kept this in the back of my head all along, but never feeling the "need" to see them......until about 2 months ago.

I started to feel a churning inside me of wanting to see the pictures. I have had a picture in my mind, but that's all it was..."my picture" and not the truth. I prayerfully sought the Lord and told Him that if indeed this churning in my heart was from Him, then light it on fire, otherwise, put it out. The desire continued....

I spoke to two of my dear friends about me seeing the pictures, they had went to the car on the day of the accident to clean it out and recover all of our personal belongings. They had different views on it...one friend was still deeply affected by it and my other friend found peace in going and even said, "I felt like it was Mike's ejection seat to heaven." I continued to pray and talked it over with my new blessing from God ( I won't mention his name on my blog, quite yet). He made me promise to him that I would not go unless he was with me. He wanted to be by my side during such a time as this. We talked about the pro's and con's of going and what may or may not come from it. More grieving? More sadness? But, in my head, I wanted a factual picture of the accident, Mike's car, and the semi. I didn't anticipate even crying, I just wanted to SEE the facts of the accident.

I made a phone call to the sheriff's department and left a message for the officer and just a few days later...there I sat looking at the pictures.

Yesterday was the day, at 4:00pm we met so I could see what I needed to see. I sat there with two blessings by my side. ( My dad came with us too.) Before the pictures were viewed, the officer showed me a scale diagram of the accident and all that had occurred that sunshiny April morning, where they hit and how they landed. It was amazing in a way I can't even put to words. The impact was so hard and the debris everywhere was overwhelming. The first picture handed to me was of Mike's car. It was SO much worse than the image in my head. But, reality hit me and said, "Why wouldn't it be this bad?" The semi was not in much better shape. We looked at three packs of pictures filled with all of the details of the accident. I only asked one question about what was on the car in one of the pictures. Otherwise, I sat and embraced it all.

I feel so bad for the EMT's, firemen, and policemen to be called to a scene such as that. The people driving to work and school that morning will never forget what they saw. I pray for all of them to be released of the sight they endured that morning and for God to heal their hearts as He has ours.

I will NEVER regret going and looking at those pictures yesterday. It was so healing and now, I have "the facts" and the correct picture in my mind. I finally got to see Mike's "ejection seat to heaven". And, I know someday...I will see him again, too!