Four years ago we met Jack. And said goodbye. Each year it continues to seem like a lifetime ago and yesterday all at the same time. And each year I will continue to post- not to gain sympathy or pity or to wallow in grief but as an ebenezer. In the Bible (1 Samuel 7:12) Samuel takes a stone and raises it up at the place where his army was able to defeat the Philistines, even though they were surely going to be overtaken. He used the stone as a way to mark the place where the Lord had helped them so they would always remember. And that is what I want to do today, to mark this day, so I can always remember. Ebenezer means 'stone of help' and in addition to wanting to remember Jack I also want to remember how God has helped us. He has drawn us near to him, drawn us near to each other, given us friends to comfort us and love us. Given us prayers upon prayers from people we know intimately and those we will never know. And God has given us this pain as a platform to share His love and tenderness with others. He would never cause such pain but has allowed it so others can know they are known and loved by the maker of the universe. And we've already seen Jack's short life make an impact for the kingdom. His story exemplifies the gospel in such a beautiful way. On the heels of Easter Jack's birthday is the perfect remind that God did send help in the form of Jesus. And because of Jesus our family has the hope that Jack is whole and healed and that we will be reunited.
"Thus far the LORD has helped us"
(1 Samuel 7:12)
Loss is tough. In so many ways. It sneaks up on you during the most random of times. A few weeks after Jack's birthday last year we moved to a new house (which was hard because our old house was the only one Jack had ever lived in). And during all of the unpacking and decorating and organizing that comes with moving into a new place I wanted to hang pictures of the children in the long hallway upstairs. We have gorgeous pictures of both Harper and Hendrix. And when it came time to select Jack's picture it hit me. We will only ever have this finite number of pictures to choose from. Harper and Hendrix already had hundreds of pictures we could use to frame. But not Jack. And that was such a hard, sad thing to realize. This task which should have fun or at the very least, just a simple task, became a reminder of what we do not have. I am so thankful for sweet friends who listened to my broken heart and gave me words of comfort that day. Eventually I ordered Jack's picture and put it in the frame on the wall (the black and white photo you see above). Because even though this was hard and I struggled it was something I knew I needed to do. Something I WANTED to do. To have my second child, my first son, on the wall with my other children. Ignoring or forgetting him just because it is hard is more heartbreaking than actually grieving the lack of pictures.
And in an effort to not ignore or forget our family continues to use his birthday to give back to our community. And we'd love you to do the same, if you feel so led. Here are our favorite organizations that are making real change for children in our area and state.
Sonshine Day Camps
Day camp is the primary way our summer mission camps bear witness to the
love of God through academic enrichment and Christian education to
children. It is also one of the ways we build relationships that
overcome cultural, racial and age barriers. In the rural communities
where we serve, children often have very few opportunities for organized
activities during the summer. Many of their schools communities are
under-resourced and struggle to prepare them academically. In some
cases, their home environments are tense and difficult to manage for
various reasons. At day camp, we want to create a fun, safe, caring
space for kids to know and feel God’s love while being enriched in their
reading and writing. Donate here
Big House Foundation
Every Spring BigHouse provides new swimsuits and new beach and bath towels to children in foster care in Alabama. These children have entered care in the last 12 months and their social worker places a request for them to receive this donation. Each towel is embroidered with the child's name to make it extra special and uniquely theirs.
Help provide this sweet summer necessity to children all across our state by making a donation here!
Junior League of Lee County
The Junior League of Lee
County is making a difference in the county by the Weekend Backpack
Program in Partnership with the Food Bank of East Alabama.
In
the past 2012-2013 school year, the League has packed and delivered 800
bags of food. This is program has served 80 children in Lee County
Elementary and Middle Schools.
The Goal is to serve the chronically hungry children in Lee County Schools who would go hungry over the weekend. Donate here.
