Heartache & Loss

Please take a moment…

Apr 28th, 2011

Mississippi was devastated by massive tornadoes yesterday, specifically one of our neighboring towns, Smithville. I can’t even begin to describe the destruction…

An old friend was killed in the storm; her body was found earlier today. This is a devastating loss to so many in an already devastated community. Please pray for Karla’s family, and specifically for her sixteen year old son who is currently at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN. The most recent information I have is that his neck is broken and he has bleeding on his brain.

How Great Thou Art, Indeed…

Apr 25th, 2011

by Nickie.

Comments are off for this post

I didn’t realize just how much easier it can be, sometimes, to look up when you’re upside down. When the world tilts and shift, turns head over heels, it almost forces you to look up on a constant basis. Looking up keeps you in the light, rather than the consuming darkness that you face when holding your head low.

I don’t understand life’s ups and downs, twists and turns, and not so pleasant surprises. Maybe it’s not for me to understand. Maybe it’s in those times that I should try harder to look up, rather than slipping down into that dark place that gives a false sense of security.

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Music is one of those things that really speaks to me. I feel it in the depths of my soul; and more often than not, during good times and bad, find myself turning to music. Often, it is the feeling portrayed in the music, in the singing of the song, that speaks to me. Just as this amazing performance by Carrie Underwood spoke to me on a very deep level… something my soul desperately needed. A gentle reminder that He is, indeed, Great… greater than any troubles, any confusion, any doubt, any darkness that threatens to consume me, any heartbreak, anything…

This is what it means to be held…

Mar 23rd, 2011

by Nickie.

2 comments

The big gaping hole has gotten smaller. The pain doesn’t grip me unexpectedly anymore. I haven’t forgotten… how could I? I still miss you but I take comfort in knowing you are with the Savior. I know you understand.

Bringing in the New Year

Dec 31st, 2010

by Nickie.

2 comments

Twenty-ten is almost gone… my how time flies.

Usually, at the end of one year and beginning of another, I take time to reflect on things that happened throughout the year– good and bad. This year, the end of 2010, I’m adding blogging to that list of reflections… because, for better or worse, I am a blogger.

This year has seen so many tragedies and so much loss in this, our blogosphere. I don’t intend for this post to be sad… I only want to remember those who we’ve lost, those who have suffered through tragedies, and those who are left behind. I want to celebrate those who have been called home, those who are standing strong in their loss, and those who have leaned on faith to bring them through the year’s tragedies.

As I write this, a very wonderful blogger is facing a heartache I can’t image. Penny at Living Above Ministries and Seeds of Faith lost her husband in a tragic accident yesterday. As a woman, my heart aches for her. As a wife, my heart is bursting in agony for her. I can not imagine the pain she is feeling; the overwhelming grief. And the children… those sweet little babies. Being a mother myself, I can’t even allow my mind to imagine how excruciatingly hard it would be to have to tell my babies that their daddy has gone home to Jesus. Even the thought of it is crushingly painful. I know that there is celebration in our returning to the Father. But I also know the magnitude of the pain we who are left behind feel having experienced tragic loss myself. Please take a moment to lift Penny and her two young children up in prayer. They are in great need of the comfort of our Heavenly Father.

And let’s not forget our other friends in this world of blogging who have experienced devastating tragedies. Now, on the last day of 2010, let’s take time to remember those we’ve lost, and pray for those who have experienced loss:

Jill at The Real Life of a Redhead lost her sweet baby Joshua on October 6th.

Kirsten Michelle at Team Ewan and Lattes & Rainy Days lost her darling little Ewan on October 4th.

Terri at Forward Motion lost her precious little Jake on September 28th.

Kristi at Creative Kristi lost her adorable little niece Olivia on December 29th.

Erika at The Ivory Hut lost her home to fire on October 31st.

Edie at Life in Grace lost her home to fire on December 21st.

And these are just the tragedies that I know of, losses that happened in the last quarter of the year. There are, I’m sure, so many more.

As you reflect on your 2010, please take the time to thank God for all that you have– as all of the ladies above have done in the face of their own tragedies. May God’s love, grace, and blessings surround you in the year to come.

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★ • Wishing You a Happy and Blessed New Year ● ★
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I am constantly baffled by how nasty people are…

Dec 29th, 2010

by Nickie.

4 comments

We are a dog loving family. I am a huge dog lover. I have always had a dog… for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I’ve found myself being partial to Labs. I like big dogs, and Labs are my favorite breed. Small dogs are good too– I once had a Pug. But Labs capture my heart with their sweetness, playfulness, and loyalty.

Like this one. She stole my heart the minute I saw her. Bella, I named her. Isabella actually, but we called her Bella.

Yes, I am writing about her in the past tense.

Someone– some despicably horribly vile person– poisoned my Bella. How someone can be so cruel is unfathomable. But then again, look at how cruel we are to our own kind.

This pup, 9 months old, never did anything to hurt anyone, or anything. Well, except for our water hose– which she chewed into pieces about 1-2 feet long; long enough for her to tote one around in her mouth, waiting for one of us to throw it so she could fetch it. She loved to play fetch. Water hose pieces, baseballs, tennis balls, even sticks. If it fit in her mouth, she’d bring it to us.

Well then there’s the beer bottles too. We never have figured out what neighbor she got them from, but every couple days she’d pop up with two or three beer bottles… waiting for us to throw them so she could fetch. Needless to say, the farthest those things were tossed was the trash can. I thought it was rather kind of her to clean up the neighbor’s mess… even if she was bringing it into our yard.

But someone… poisoned this sweet, playful pup. And sometime during the night, last night, she died. It’s hard to understand how people can be so cruel. Not only is my heart broken, but so are the kids’… they can’t understand anymore than I can.

Our yard wasn’t quite the same today without our white ball of fur running around with a ball in her mouth. It’s not the same when we walk out onto the front porch and aren’t nearly knocked down by a wagging tail. Her baseballs, tennis balls, frisbee, and pieces of water hose are sitting there where she left them last… untouched.

All because some uncaring, unkind human being decided to end our beloved pet’s life.

I will never understand some people…