I want to start by thanking all of you for your prayers and
kind words after my last post. February 23rd was a good day for all
of us. I was able to go out to a winery with a friend and just take a moment to
get away from it all. There’s something about being outside away from NOVA that
lets me exhale a little. It was exactly
what I needed. Later that night we ended up going to dinner at Bill’s favorite
restaurant. I had left the decision up to Kaleigh, and after hemming and hawing
for a long time, at the last minute she decided she did want to go. We even had
some good friends come with us, and one of them ordered Bill’s favorite dish in
honor of him. I know it goes without saying, but we have been so blessed along
the way with wonderful people to love us. Our friend doesn’t usually order that
particular meal, but he did to honor Bill. And it wasn’t lost on me or the
girls.
A lot has gone on since that day, but I’ll try to catch up
on that at another time. I meant to get this entry up last week, but I am
slowly recovering from pneumonia, so it has taken me longer to do than I had originally
expected. (I’m fine and the girls have been amazing while I’ve been sick.)
A few months ago I had to go through all of our pictures to
find some to submit for Kaleigh’s fifth grade graduation (what?!). And I came
across a disposable camera that she had taken to Kindergarten. I hadn’t had it
developed, so I went ahead and took it in. Part of me was hoping I’d find a
cute picture or two that I could submit of Kaleigh. But another part of me
realized that there may be a picture of Bill on there that no one had seen. He
had volunteered in her class, and the more I thought about it, the more I hoped
and hoped that there would be one new picture of Bill. And then I started
wondering why I was spending so much time thinking and hoping about a picture
on a disposable camera from six years ago. Seemed a little silly. But then I realized
that what I really wanted was “more” Bill in the world. After 20 years of
knowing him, I feel like I have probably seen most of the pictures there are or
will ever be of Bill. So this little camera had the potential to bring “more
Bill” into the world for me and the girls. Sadly, when the pictures came back
there weren’t any of him, and truthfully, because the camera was so old, the
quality of the pictures on there were really bad anyway.
But it’s amazing how God knows what you need right when you
need it. A few weeks after this happened, I was having a pretty crummy day and
I got a text from one of my best friends who didn’t know anything about the
disposable camera or the pictures I was hoping for. She had been cleaning out
her house and had stumbled across some pictures of Bill at her wedding. She
sent a couple via text and all I could do was just stare and cry. He was so
healthy. So strong. So happy. So… Bill. And it was exactly what I had wanted.
More of Bill in the world. I showed the girls and they were all so excited to
see Daddy looking so happy and handsome. And my friend even sent the hard
copies to us so we can have them forever. (Thank you Heather, you will never
know how much these pictures really mean to us.)
Over the past couple of weeks as I thought about today- the
day Bill would have turned 42, I thought about that phrase “more Bill in the
world.” And while I know that we can’t actually have more of Bill physically,
we can continue to do the things he would have done if he were here. I wasn’t
sure if we were going to do another food drive this year, but as I thought
about how many people were helped last year by your generosity and about what
an amazing example it was for the girls, I decided that the food drive is
exactly what we should do to honor Bill.
Kaleigh and I went to a Casting Crowns concert a week or so
ago, and the lead singer was talking about his kids and how some things are
taught and how some things are caught when you are a kid watching your parents.
I teach the girls all the time the importance of being generous and putting
others before themselves. But I think it’s the stuff that is “caught” that can
be the most powerful in their lives for the long haul. And I know that last
year, watching all of the donations pour in was one of those “caught” moments
for the girls. They still talk about how Daddy used to volunteer at the Food
Pantry and about how they can help just like he did with his birthday food
drive.
So friends, if you are so inclined, we would love it if you
would consider donating to the food drive for RBC’s food pantry in honor of
Bill. I spoke to the coordinator and she sent the following list of high
priority items that are needed. The snack items at the bottom of the list would
go to support kids in one of the local elementary schools who we provide snacks
for during the school day.
Instant Coffee
Diapers
Baby Wipes
Dry Black Beans
Canola Oil
Sugar
Goldfish
Pirate's Booty
Cheeze Its
Veggie Straws
Fruit Snacks
Teddy Grahams
If you drop off or send your items to our house (if you need
our address let me know) just like last year, then sometime around the middle
of May, the girls and I will make sure that everything gets delivered to the
church. If you would prefer to send a gift card, the food pantry coordinator
said they could use it to buy the necessary items as well. Thank you so much
for your consideration and your generosity from last year. I am excited to see
how many people we can help this year in honor of Bill.
