Life and Death

This week has been intense (and it's only halfway through).  

Tonight, Holly comes to stay with me until Saturday.  So I'm taking this opportunity (in my hour between supervisions) to write.  I have approximately 500,000 thoughts and photos from the past week that I'd like to share and document.  But I'm going to take it one event/thought process at a time and do several shorter posts rather than one massively long one.

I'm starting here.

Please pray for the Wilkins family.

I never met Levi in person, but I knew of him through my cousin, Ashley, who is close friends with this family.  He survived a rough battle with cancer that included several surgeries, long hospital stays, chemo and all the pain that comes with it, etc.  I donated and wrote cards to them during that season, and he wrote back.

He and his wife, Emily, adopted a little boy named Owen.  They have three young kids.

Levi is a writer and I've followed his blog for a while now.

I appreciate his insight and resilience and his perspective on life and faith and what really matters.

His last post was about how life begins on the other side of despair... writing with gratitude to have made it through the cancer journey, regaining physical strength and ready to get back to the things he loved.

....That list included time with his family and time in the great outdoors, as he enjoyed rock climing.

He died in a climbing accident this past weekend.

To be honest, I've thought about that almost as much as I've thought about Babah's death this week.

I'm not sure why God allowed it to happen this way.  He survived so many hard things that could have killed him, then he was killed while doing something he loved, leaving behind a wife and three kids who were so happy to finally have him back at full strength and energy.

Anyway, I'm still in a bit of brain fog from the overwhelm of this past week... it's been a lot, and I can tell I'm not thinking at 100%.  I keep having to re-read the same paragraph repeatedly and it's a struggle to take in new information.  But even when my mind is back at full focus, I probably won't have any answers or a neat way to tie this one up.  

But I know God loves them and I believe He has a purpose and plan in all of this.  I know heaven is real and that our hope in Christ is real.  I know that the way we live and the relationships we build matter greatly, even after we die.  I believe he had a strong and positive influence and a good circle that will be supportive for their family.  Please join me in praying for peace and comfort and for a strong support system surrounding Levi's family right now. 

❤ ❤ ❤

Photo Friday!

Hey, friends!  Happy Friday, and happy last day of Summer!! #byefelicia #yayfall  Here are a few recent photos + more memes, because I had way too many saved and I want to clear them out! =)  

This = a family selfie by Mom (at my request) as we watched Jace's football game at Westmoore last night! =)  His games are always at 8pm.  This was the first time I've worn a hoodie this year, and I very much enjoyed that! ❤

They lost 20-12, but I learned new things about football, and it was fun to see him play! =)  Go #44!!

Fun new fancy/comfy PJs from J Crew (thanks to Melanie recommending them on her podcast)... they make me think of her now, and also of Melissa McCarthy mocking Sandra Bullock's character in The Heat! lol

Letting the memes speak for themselves since I'm short on time:

NOTE TO SELF:

This one resonates and feels helpful...

My brain does not allow any of these things, so my papers went in their proper notebook, and my email inbox and other notifications are cleared out multiple times a day.

Okay, my full meme collection has been shared now. lol

Have a great weekend ahead!

Memes & More

As of 12:30 on Monday, Oklahoma has a new licensed driver - get excited!!

Yay, Triston Michael (and Ginny the Genesis)! ❤

He stopped by my house yesterday just before my Practicum class to show me some things he's figured out on the car... funny to me that he knows FAR more about it than I ever did after driving it for less than a week!  Ahh, the power of caring enough to look things up. lol

Dad has 3 season tickets this year for OSU's home games, so Rach took J&K to the game this past Saturday!

"Ohmygosh, you must know Lindsey - what was your name again?  Oh, I'll tell her you said hi!" lol

So much rattling around on my short trips home from Walmart grocery pickup!

Lol I love it!

It really does...

I'm quite the expert at paraphrasing lately! lol

Lol I've been thinking about how to start sessions in a casual way that makes them comfortable, and this feels about like how it'll go...

Yep.  Deep breaths.

Lol both factor in, but my style of traveling definitely requires more money than courage!!

This made me think of the Jaceman, who is exceptionally talented at urgently needing to tell you something at the exact moment you’ve begun a conversation with anyone else! lol

I was telling my cousin good healthy self-care decisions are most difficult during overwhelming times when they're also most important!

YES to this idea! lol

Hahaha

Truth:

Also truth:

Yes!!  I actually do mean "Jace" and "Chet," not "have" and "Cher." lol

Me!

Melanie is extra hilarious in this one!  I'm not a college football fan, but I'm always here for her ranting about it!!

Hey, look at us growing stronger.

Thankful for God's timing and comfort!

A few Throwback Thursday pics.  Last week was Kate's birthday, so I made this collage for her. =)

It was also Ashley's birthday, so I found this cousin pic from our 1990s Camcorder music video extravaganza! =)

And here's me, Susie, and LB at the Miss Scarlett's Tea Room (I think) in 2017!  I miss that place!

I started this as a Monday Memes post, then got sidetracked with more important things over the past three days.  The sense of general overwhelm and brain fog is real lately, and I know Mom's in the same boat, so we need to have extra grace for ourselves.  But I'm also praying for God to bring us more clarity and endurance in this season, as it doesn't appear that life will be slowing down to a nice, comfy pace any time real soon...  We're going to The Veraden to prepare for the service this weekend, then hosting Emily's baby shower on Sunday, then I'm speaking at the graveside portion of Babah's Memorial Service next Tuesday, then likely having my first counseling session on Wednesday, then Holly is coming to stay with me that night (the day after the funeral), then it's my surgery consult and hopefully the surgery soon after, then the holiday season and all that comes with it.  Lots of big and important things and fun things ahead, and I want to do my part well in all the work and school and family stuff!  Anyway, my mantra right now is "one step at a time!!"

That's all I've got for right now.

Happy Thursday, and I hope you have a good weekend ahead! ❤