homesick

Four Beautiful Dashes

My sister and her children -without a doubt- left four of the most beautiful dashes on this world ever. I'm amazed at the impact they had on so many people. I know my life is forever changed because of them. I spend much more time thinking of meaningful ways to spend my "dash" and less on trivial things. Watch this video and think about how people will remember your dash.

What makes you happy?

My son Grant is in a group called Awana at Porter Memorial. Each week a different speaker delivers a message catered to their "developing" minds. "What makes you happy?" the speaker asked the room full of five year olds. The hands flew up! One by one the speaker called on the children and they responded to the question. Candy...Presents...Staying up late...etc...typical responses for kids their age. Grant was seated on the back row and with each answer his urgency to be picked became more evident. Rocking from side to side, extending his little paw just as far as it could go. Finally, the speaker called on him. Grant, What makes you happy? "Getting to see my cousins in Heaven someday!" he proudly proclaimed. My heart leaped. Thank you Jesus!

God's Flower Garden

It's hard to lose the ones we love,
To see them pass away.
The sweetest and the kindest gone,
While others are left to stay.
But, if we had a garden,
With roses fair and bright.
We'd often pick the loveliest,
And think it to be right.
So it is with Jesus,
In his heavenly garden here.
He often picks the fairest flowers,
The ones we love so dear.
The flowers that are picked by him,
Will never fade away.
We know they'll live forever,
And we'll see them some sweet day.

Beth Moore

I haven't posted lately...still homesick, I guess I always will be. I know Mel, Madeline, David, and Charlotte are in heaven and living it up, but it's still such a huge void for us. We miss the joy they added to our everyday life. Please continue to pray for our family that we will heal and be able to glorify God through this. Despite this tragedy we have many blessing from God and I don't want to lose focus of them.

Thanks to everyone who has gone out of there way to comfort us, through cards, meals, flowers, gift cards, you name it! It's amazing how compassionate everyone has been to us. Truly a blessing in our time of sorrow!

**One of the cards I received last week was from Beth Moore, Melanie's favorite christian author. I had emailed Living Proof Ministries to have our family added to the prayer list. I mentioned that the night before the accident, Missy and Mom were in a bible study "Daniel" studying the chapter about fiery trials. Missy said that in the car on the way home from the study she had prayed that God would increase her faith. The bible says that our faith is strengthened through our sorrow, so if sorrow=faith then it looks like we are gonna take home the prize. If you consider that the prize is Jesus, then I guess we will.

*The last birthday present Melanie gave me was Beth's book "Praying God's Word".

Quote-Brenda Neal

My life was suddenly divided into before and after, and
there was no going back to before. But then I realized I
had a choice to live the after. I had to decide.

-BRENDA NEAL, A TIME TO MOURN, A TIME TO DANCE

Faith

Way To Explain It!!!
A sick man turned to his doctor,
as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said,
"Doctor, I am afraid to die.
Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know?
You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door;
on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,
and as he opened the door,
a dog sprang into the room
and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said,
"Did you notice my dog?
He's never been in this room before.
He didn't know what was inside.
He knew nothing except that his master was here,
and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.
I know little of what is on the other side of death,
but I do know one thing...
I know my Master is there and that is enough."

Quote-Winkie Pratney

The only difference in death between a Christian and one who is not is that the Christian is ready to meet Jesus. A Christian is dead already - dead to the world, but alive to Christ. Death for you as a child of God is to fall asleep in His arms and awake in the other world, alive forever beyond the power of pain, safe forever from all sickness and suffering.

Winkie Pratney

Poem-Candy Rings & Necklaces

**Missy wrote the following...
***Here's the poem for Melanie. I wrote this for Melanie in the summer of 2001 when she was struggling with trying to understand/make sense of David's diagnosis of failure to thrive.
I love you! Missy

Candy Rings and Necklaces

Melissa Russell

This poem is dedicated to my twin sister Melanie.

Sister, I long for the days when spending time together wasn’t an issue.
When all we knew were our colors, numbers, and a few simple nursery rhymes.
When life was simple and carefree, and the only worry was
“who was going to go or be first”.

I long for the days of making mud-pies in the hot afternoon sun.
Of kissing the trees while imagining that they were Bo and Luke Duke.
Of lying in bed on Christmas Eve, convincing ourselves that we heard
Santa and his reindeer prancing on top of the roof.

I long for the days of innocence and of being naïve and gullible.
When we whole-heartedly believed that we would live forever,
because we didn’t truly know the concept of death.
When we were certain that anything was possible,
and we’d surely marry a prince and live happily ever after.

I long for the days of recess, where each week we’d chase a new boy
we claimed we’d marry someday.
When candy rings and necklaces were more precious than genuine jewels.
When our major concerns were the contents of our friends’ lunchboxes and conning mama and daddy into letting us have a sleepover on the weekend.

I long for the days when we were oblivious to the complexities of life,
when we were excited about the little things like,
getting a chili dog box at Jay’s Dairy Freeze and
going on wiener roasts after an exhausting days work on the farm.
For the trips to the convenient store with pepaw,
where afterwards we’d count our candy to see who had managed to get the most out of their dollar bill.

But although I know I can never go back and relive our childhood,
I can use it now as an escape, so that when I have a fight with my spouse,
a mountain of paperwork, or my computer crashes,
I can travel back, and we can have a tickle fight,
without worrying about anything else except
who will be the first to laugh.

Poem-If Tomorrow...

If Tomorrow Starts Without Me
Author believed to be
David Romano

When tomorrow starts without me,
And I'm not there to see,
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
all filled with tears for me,

I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today,
While thinking of the many things,
We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
and each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too.

But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name,
And took me by the hand,
and said my place was ready,
In heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye
For all my life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for,
So much left yet to do,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays
The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared,
and all the fun we had

If I could re-live yesterday
Just even for a while,
I'd say good-bye and kiss you
And maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized,
That this could never be,
For emptiness and memories,
would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things,
I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through heaven's gates,
I felt so much at home
When God looked down and smiled at me,
From His great golden throne.

He said, "This is eternity,
And all I've promised you."
Today your life on earth is past,
But here life starts anew

I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last,
And since each day's the same way
There's no longing for the past.

You have been so faithful,
So trusting and so true.
Though there were times
You did some things
You knew you shouldn't do.

But you have been forgiven
And now at last you're free.
So won't you come and take my hand
And share my life with me?

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart,
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here, in your heart.

Heartwarming Email

*I receive the most heartwarming email today. It really shows what kind of person my sister was!

"Hello. I think about you all every day multiple times. You have my prayers.
I am Joanna Filiatreau Tennill. I was in Junior Miss with Melanie. I have also been fortunate enough to have known how wonderful a therapist she was. I am a Physical Therapy Assistant and our paths crossed several times. I want you to know how much her patients cared for her. There is a patient that she was going to continue to see for free once a week for the sake of his family. SHe told them this the week she was killed. I am now, in her honor, going to continue to see him once a week for nothing. It seems that there is nothing anyone can do, but again myself and my friends and family are constantly thinking of you all. OK. Now why I am writing: We want to honor Melanie at this year's Junior Miss. The only thing is that it is June 9th. I was wondering if you could get some photos of her the year she won and put together something. I am trying to get together the people that were in Junior Miss in 93 to give a scholarship in Melanie's name."