I’ll never forget the look on my mom’s face. It was FULL of grief and pain. Her face was puffy from crying. Instantly my heart was struck with panic. I was confused. I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than wanting to get off the platform to get to my mom. What was going on? Was my dad dead?
"Don't Worry! Be Happy! " This phrase, as most of us recognize to be the lyrics to a popular song, seems so simple and yet can be so complicated when someone like me actually tries to live out these words. Don’t Worry- Really? How? It’s all I seem to do. It's WHO I am. The list of items to worry about is exhaustive and seemingly never-ending. Be Happy- what does that even mean? What is it supposed to "feel" like? I often feel that I fail at these two "simple" directives daily! Why? Simple, my humanity, and the humanity of others...
The end of the year came as it always did. First there was Halloween, all I could do was remember your precious little face and each Halloween costume you wore through the years. You were a pirate, a zombie and a cheetah. I handed out candy that first Halloween but my heart was not in it. Each trick-or-treater reminded me that you were gone. Each undead costume reminded me that you were really dead. Only 16 years old you left the earth too soon.
This season, for our first story, for our first nonprofit . . . it brings us great joy to honor and introduce you to The Renewing Life Center. I have had the pleasure of knowing the two directors, Dr. Patricia Meye and Mark Whelchel for several years now and the many arms they extend to our community, other nonprofit organizations, churches they serve, and the lives they have helped heal. Click on the link above to read more about the center or visit their website, . . . then, consider sharing with a friend or two . . .