The awful tasks that are now almost all accomplished are better than the restless mundane. We still need to order a headstone. Apparently headstones and death certificates take a long time. Who knew that signing a piece of paper and carving a name in a rock take months to accomplish?

 

Also, did you know death certificates cost $35 per copy? Don't you think people who need death certificates have been through enough that someone could throw in a couple of pieces of fancy paper for their trouble?

 

Anyway, I'm still processing Julian's Celebration of Life. I have so much to say about it and I do want to share all of those thoughts but I still need time to ponder. In the meantime, know that we are so humbled and blessed by every person who attended, waited in line to hug us, provided the church, food, photography, and everything else that we can't even remember.   We will always look back on this day with awe by the ways our family was loved and the incredible support we received. We will treasure all of it forever.

 

If you've reached out, provided a meal, signed up for a meal, given to GoFundMe, prayed for us, THANK YOU. We haven't answered every single text and email but we LOVE getting these messages.

 

We still need your prayers. Probably more now than even in the last week. And while you're at it, go ahead and pray for every parent who's lost a child because whether it was last week or ten years ago, the pain, I'm certain, is still there.

Pray specifically for two things today (tomorrow we may need something completely different):

 

1. That we hold fast to our faith. Oh, that we could lift the veil and understand God's purpose in all of this. It would be so much easier to hold onto our faith knowing the why's. But how can we claim to trust in God and then forsake Him as soon as we are in a valley, even the lowest of the lowest valleys? How could I know faith to be true faith if it would not stand a trial? Should we not lean on our faith all the more there? Clinging hard tonight to Psalm 116:15 "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."

 

and

 

2. That the Great Comforter is near us every hour. Today was HARD. I used to wish for more hours in the day and today the hours could not pass quick enough. Though many would do anything to truly comfort the broken-hearted and though meals, and donations and prayers are so needed and so appreciated, true comforting is God's work alone. Only He can heal our shattered hearts and piece them back together. Pray that we feel Him in all the slow hours of the day.

 

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.

 

Love to every one of you.

 

xo

Dawn