Check out this big group photo from our 3rd Annual
Let Your Light Shine Family 1 Mile Walk & 5K! Our biggest group yet! LOVE this!!
As I said yesterday before the run, I wasn't initially excited with the idea of doing gray t-shirts this year, but I think they turned out beautifully; I love the super bright yellow! And, to me there's a bigger message behind this t-shirt: Like the shirt, our lives @ times can be gray - dark, gloomy, and just plain ol' gray; unfortunately in t...his life we all have our low, dark, down, not-so-good times. But, then the sun comes powering through - just like the bright sun on our gray shirts - and just like it has for all 3 years we have had this event (just crazy - such a coincidence, not 😉⛅ ). In fact, have any of you ever flown on a dark, gloomy day? When your airplane gets above the clouds, it's as bright as ever; it's amazing.--That sun is actually ALWAYS there. And that's one reason why we call this our Avelyn SonShine Journey: SONshine - 'SON' for Jesus - God's Son. He is always there. Sometimes when I pray, I say "Lord be with (him)" or "Jesus, watch over (her);" the truth is He is already always doing these things; He is always there, just like the sun. Now when I pray I have tried to switch this to say, "Lord, help (him) to know You," or "Jesus, I pray (she) will have a relationship with You." Friends, He is always there, already. It's up to us to reach out to Him. I pray each one of you - if you haven't already - will ask Him into your heart so you will always FEEL that SonShine that is ALREADY there, even on your dark, gloomy days, weeks, months, years.
#morethanjustatshirt
Thank you to each of you who came out yesterday to join us for our 3rd Annual Let Your Light Shine event!! Thank u to all who made this happen: you - our participants, our sponsors, silent auction donors, volunteers, those who made extra donations, my family, my friend Amber Miller, Brad Reighard​ for taking these photos, Greg & Sandra Lancellotti for donating the medals, Life Spring Church​ for giving us a place to have our event...SOOO many people contribute to this event, we are so thankful for EACH of you!
Love & Hugs to all of you!! 💛💖​

Our daughter met Jesus 3 years ago today. This picture of Josh holding her is the moment before the doctor officially said she was gone. We knew her physical body, her earthly body, was dead. But her soul - not so much. She went straight from the arms of her earthly father in this picture to the arms of her Father in heaven. As much as our hearts hurt and as much as we cried out, we realize now that she was suddenly experiencing her Best. Day. Ever.
A couple months ago when I... was driving to pick up AJ, I heard a song called "Home." Hearing the words, I started crying, as it gave me such peace and hope, my heart was full knowing exactly where my daughter was, what she was experiencing: "...Every tear will be wiped away. Every sorrow and sin erased. We'll dance on seas of amazing grace. In Heaven. In Heaven. I'm goin' home. Where the streets are golden. Every chain is broken..." If you haven't listened to it, please do; and it's a great video too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIb4NC5ikYo
Home - with a capital - H -. This is where our daughter is. And I will someday be with her too. As this video shows, each of us has an 'hour' glass. Avelyn's was a '16 day glass.' So far mine has been a '29 year (+ 10 😂) glass...and counting.' What is yours? Are you afraid for when yours runs out? I hope not...but if you are, please, PLEASE do something about it. Talk to me. Please.
Since Avelyn passed away, my faith has grown stronger. So thankful for this, for because of this, I KNOW where she is. Children who do not yet know right from wrong are given 'exceptional mercy' and are granted an automatic 'ticket' to heaven. For us though - for the rest of us here, we do know right from wrong. Therefore, we are able to make a choice. We need to make a choice - for Jesus - in order to meet the loved ones ahead of us - who have made that choice and gone to heaven. We need to make that choice so we can be "in Your open arms" - in Jesus' arms. Because of God's gift to children of 'exceptional mercy,' Avelyn has met Jesus, and I'm so thankful I will too; and I will meet her - HEALED - for the first time, when my 'hour glass' is done.
I'm not afraid to die. Now, don't get me wrong, I want to be here to raise my children with my husband and love on my loved ones and share my faith with as many people as possible and try to Let My Light Shine. But when God calls me, I'll be ready. I have no doubt where I'm going. I pray each of you is ready too, when your hour glass reaches it's last grain of salt. Lots of Love & Hugs friends. ❤️💛💖🌦️☀
Happy heavenly birthday sweet girl.

Happy 3rd Birthday Avelyn KayLee Grace! It was a beautiful day in so many ways as we celebrated you. First of all your big sister Aili was fever-free and feeling more like herself, which always makes for a more fun adventure. 😋 Also I got to share a little about u at church today and the journey u & your buddy Jesus have taken us on.--U guys have helped us order >3,500 bibles...with hopefully more to come after our 3rd Annual Let Your Light Shine event. And best of all, your ...daddy, big sisters, baby brother, and I got to feel u & experience u in God's creation; enjoying our back patio, which has our sunshine - you - imprinted on it, with your siblings as your rays. ☀ We decorated cookies and put 1 candle each on your siblings cookies - so 3 candles total - before singing Happy Birthday to u. Did u hear us?!? 💛 (And we of course ate the cookies - or 2 or 3). 😃 It was absolutely a JOY filled day.️ Happy Birthday sweet girl. We ❤ u SO much.
These pictures capture a little of what we were able to enjoy today to celebrate Avelyn's 3rd Bday. It was a gorgeous day outside; couldn't have been better. Wanted to share one little miracle we saw.--Near the end of the pics, you'll see my bird leggings (Avelyn means 'bird' in Latin); I wore them for Avelyn today.--At one point while we were playing outside, God sent a beautiful blue bird for Aili, AJ, & I to see; the pic doesn't do it justice, but I captured it the best I could. 😋 We definitely felt Avelyn's presence as we soaked in this beautiful weather God gave us. Aili said, "God gave us warm weather for Avelyn's birthday." 💛
Thank u Lord Jesus for the 'trust without borders' u have continued to give us & that "peace that transcends all understanding." Friends, if u don't know this peace or u have never experienced it, PLEASE ask us what it's about. We love u & want u to know it & feel it & experience it too. ​