At my husband’s funeral, we played “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”. My mom had to physically hold me up, but I raised my hands in worship. I didn’t know how it was going to be okay, how this could possibly be in God’s plan for me. I didn’t know how I was supposed to keep being a nurse, when I couldn’t see an ambulance without having a panic attack. I didn’t know how any of it was supposed to work together for good. All (and I mean all) I knew in those… Read More
I grew up a preacher's kid, so I have known the Lord a long time. But losing our son has certainly brought us closer to God. On July 17, 2022, we were at our family’s lake house in Alabama when I noticed that our son, Briggs, was missing. Immediately, we began to search for him. My husband, Josh, a firefighter, found him in the lake. After jumping in and pulling him out of the water, he called 911 and began CPR. He performed CPR for 30 minutes before Briggs regained a heartbeat. He was then life-flighted to Children's of Alabama, where… Read More
My Grandma was an amazing person. I will never forget her; that would be impossible. So much of me, and who I am as a young woman, is because of her powerful influence. She watched me take my first breath as I entered this world, and I watched her take her last breath as she left it. She has lived with me from day one, for my entire life. The first thing I did every morning for as long as I can remember was to go say good morning to her. And she has been such a strong inspiration of… Read More
My grandson, Sam, died last year when his moped was struck by an oncoming vehicle. I was completely devastated. But I have found a very unique, and healing, way to honor his memory. Sam was a high school sophomore, and he and his buddies would sometimes go out for breakfast to a local diner before school. When we were talking one day, Sam told me, “The diner’s food has nothing on you, Grandma. You make the best breakfast.” So I casually said, “Why don’t you come to my house with your friends sometime and I’ll make them breakfast.” He loved the idea… Read More
I’m a widower. A father to two girls who lost their mom over a year and a half ago. A husband who lost his bride and helpmate. I’ve been allowed to walk through some really heavy, but undeniably rich moments over the past six years. That might sound strange, but it sets the stage to start to talk about things like suffering, hope and living life. I’ve seen God be an ever-present help in time of need by providing for physical needs, emotional outlets and spiritual resiliency. I’ve seen Him be incredibly tender toward my family, especially as we walked through… Read More
I was 30 years old when my wife, Lyndsie, went home to Heaven after a 10-year battle with cancer, leaving me with two young kids. I walked out of that Emergency Room on August 28, 2015 without her, wondering how I would explain to our kids that their momma would not be coming home. I couldn’t believe this was my reality. In the weeks that followed, I was surrounded by people who loved me and my kids well. They sat with me, listened, brought meals, wrote encouraging notes, sent gift cards and helped with the kids. It was clear that our… Read More
