Spring Break 2015

Present time...

We just got back from St. George (Spring Break 2015) where we had a nice family vacation with my side of the family and all the cousins.  By the way, I spent the ride down and back writing for the blog, I hope to be sharing real soon.  

It's been a long time since we've been that close to Las Vegas.  (I have not yet been able to bring myself to going back there after Katelyn's accident.  Maybe someday).  Four years ago we also went down to St. George for Spring Break, just one year after we lost Kate.  It was hard for me not to think about things.   I have triggers that set me back emotionally sometimes, one being a long family trip so close to Vegas - it was a little difficult that last trip to St. George.

But today we returned home from a 5 day vacation there, and I realized that things (like bad memories) never crossed my mind.  I didn't even think about Vegas.  To others that may not seem like a big deal, but for me, it's a sure sign of healing.  It's a really big step for me. 

We enjoyed ourselves this trip.  We even spent a lot of time in the Resort's outdoor pool.  My children have all done well to put the past behind them and not be scared of the water.  That's probably thanks to a great swimming teacher, Kamie,  and also us encouraging them to love and respect the water.  

We've always wanted our kids to learn the life skill of swimming.  They all started lessons early, and the oldest two continued with lessons until they were  advanced swimmers.  It's  always been important to us that they know how to swim.  And it's paid off, they all enjoy the water.

My next few blogs are probably the hardest I'll have to write.  I've prayed that I can tell our story well, and reverence the tender mercies and blessings that came to help us through the worst of it.  I also pray that our story will be received well. 

It is not my purpose to get sympathy by sharing our story.  In fact, at this point in our healing, we try to avoid drawing attention.  We even feel awkward sometimes when people find out we lost a child, and they don't know how to respond.  We don't try to hide the fact - we love Katelyn and we'll always count her as part of our lives.  But we have learned that timing is everything when it comes to opening our hearts.  

Through the years,  we've come to appreciate good, sensitive people who are sincere and respectful about our grief, and who handle it with care.  At the same time, we realize that most people mean well, so we try not to let the awkward little things offend or upset us when they come off the wrong way.

Having said all that, I thank you for letting us share our story with you.  We hope it helps others realize that we are not alone, that there are angels among us, that there is a God - a Heavenly Father who knows and loves us, and is aware of our hurts and struggles.  We hope our story can give light and hope to others, and bring them closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, who knows our suffering and will not leave us comfortless.  We hope in sharing our story, we can lift others.  We HOPE.