Ten Years

Ten years ago, my entire world was turned upside down in an instant.
Ten years ago, the world lost a good man.
Ten years later, he’s still remembered, loved and appreciated by many.

And really, the only good thing in it was that we all knew he had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and we’d see him again in Heaven.

But it says a lot about a person when they’re still missed by many ten years down the track…

I struggled with God then and I still struggle with Him now. I don’t know why it happened and I probably never will.

But I thank Him for another good man to love me equally as well and for the beautiful children I never thought I’d have.

And even though sometimes the road seems never-endingly hard, I know the road to God is the only road worth walking.

Five Years

Five years ago today, my world turned upside down. I was in shock that something like that could happen to me. Surely, it COULDN’T be happening to me just ten weeks after I’d FINALLY got married. But it did. Those things don’t just happen to “other people”.

I thought my life was over. After waiting so long to get married, what hope did I have when less than three months later that long-awaited husband was gone? Who would want me now? What point was there in going on? How bleak the rest of my life looked! All I saw was a seemingly endless existence as a widow starting far too early and the dream of children shattered before it started.

I’ll never forget that day…those memories…those feelings…the horror. It all changed my life forever. I’ll never be the same person.

But I’ll also never forget the amazing friends and family that rallied around and carried me for far more than the next few weeks or months. Or the overwhelming global support of prayer, blog comments and e-mails that helped to keep me breathing in the first few weeks. Or the way that people rejoiced when God actually sent me another husband–far quicker than the first one had arrived!

I’m so grateful. I’m so blessed. I would never want to go through it again but I’m so overwhelmed as I think back.

I do miss Steve–but not in the same way anymore. I’ll forever be grateful that he was in my life. I’ll forever be grateful for the way he changed my life and for the people he introduced me to that impacted my life–and still do to this day.

I really struggle to comprehend the difference from then to now in what my life looks like. I have (another) amazing husband. I have been blessed with not one but two amazing, Godly men who have chosen to love me. That is more than some people get and yet I also have been blessed with beautiful children.

I survived and I’m far stronger for it. I hated God and yet I’m still here following Him.

Thank you, God.

A Closed Book

Nearly four years ago, on the way to the river the day Steve was killed, I was reading a book: Let Them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd. After that day, I just couldn’t bring myself to open it or finish it. I’d been enjoying it but I just couldn’t go back there. Matter of fact, I didn’t read hardly at all for ages, especially not fiction–quite a phenomenon for someone like me who needs to read!

As the years went on, I started to think about picking up the book again and also reading the following two in the trilogy. I wasn’t sure how I’d go and I also wanted to read all three back-to-back. All this time, my bookmark (a flier from the CWCI convention I went to just before the accident) had started in that book holding my exact page. Right up until about two months ago when someone borrowed it and I never mentioned to them any significance behind the books.

Being on a roll in reading recently and having being told by the borrower she’d really enjoyed them and I should actually read them, I decided to take the plunge. I went back to the start and began again.

Obviously, the timing was right because I finished it easily. I couldn’t remember my previous stopping point and so there was no “sense of doom” in any way as I read. It was a good, fun read. And so were the other two!

So after all these years, after all this time, I have finally read that book and “closed that chapter”. I’ll never forget the significance of that book but they will no longer jump out at me from my shelf as something I could never go back to.

Three Years, Emotional Triggers & Firsts

I never wrote a three year blog post. I obviously didn’t forget the day but, as Facebook followers would know, I was involved in a two-day trial that spanned the ‘sad-iversary’ dates.  That took every speck of energy we had available (and more). I remembered but was forced to focus elsewhere.

After three years, you think you’d be done with all the firsts, wouldn’t you? I certainly didn’t think I had any left! However, I was wrong…

My family came to stay with us over Easter. This is the first time they’ve been able to visit us in our home since my new husband and I got married last June. It was only in the week or so before they came that it dawned on me that the last time my family visited me for the first time in my new home as a newlywed over Easter, my husband died. I knew that was totally irrational and irrelevant but it didn’t stop fear knocking at the door!

I told my husband and he understood and prayed with me about it. He was also sensitive to what was going on over the weekend when Easter did come around. Usually, Easter doesn’t really bother me. The date of Steve’s death and Easter never match up and the actual date always comes first and is passed by the time Easter comes around. This year, I really struggled with fear over something bad happening…particularly that history might repeat, but I was geared up for anything bad. My yet-unborn-baby picked Good Friday to have a very quiet day (naturally) so I was freaking out over that inside too!!

I didn’t let this battle with fear rule me or stop me and we did enjoy having my family stay! There is no doubt, though, that I–and my family–were all relieved when the weekend passed without incident. Another first down, another fear beaten, another victory won…

Two Years

(I'm sorry it's long but can you please read it all? :D)

I can't believe that I'm here. Two years ago, I thought I was going to die from the pain–and that would have been fine with me. Today, I've got the self-preservation instinct back and, each day, life looks increasingly brighter.

Walking the journey, each day was an excruciatingly painful, slow process. Looking back, I can't believe so much time has passed…but I never want to experience that level of pain again!

I really think that the timing of my move is specific and intentional and part of a Master plan. I feel that it's the end of one season and the beginning of another. I'm convinced that I needed to be here for these two years and I'm not sorry for a minute that I stayed or that I bought my house here.

At the same time, I think that there's far more than "coincidence" in the timing of my move coinciding with this anniversary and all the changes of the last few months. I believe that it's the beginning of a new chapter and I'm actually kind of excited to see what it holds!

This town will always have a part of my heart–my husband was buried here–and there are awesome, awesome people here who I love dearly and have supported me phenomenally. It won't be easy to leave but nor would it be easy to stay.

He’s Up to Something – Part One

Still wondering why I’m here / Still wrestling with my fear / But oh, He’s up to something / And the farther on I go / I’ve seen enough to know / That I’m, not here for nothing / He’s up to something

Those are the words in the section of the song I posted which sum up a lot for me lately. They have been going around and around in my head over the last few days. It probably has something to do with the fact that I’ve listened to the song dozens of times (lol) but also a lot to do with how much they resonate with me. God has really been doing something in me and it’s really hard to put into words.

Still wondering why I’m here

So true. I know since I’m the one that’s still here, there’s a reason for that–I just have no idea what it is. Trust me, a lot of thought and journalling has gone into that. For now, I’m just “doing the next thing” and hoping/trusting that He’ll give me a passion for something…put a dream in my heart…help me catch a vision to run with. I’ve always had a passion and dream for home and family. That has never changed but it’s one of the few things that you just can’t knuckle down and do. Only God knows if that will ever happen. All I can do is pick up the pieces and try to see something else in them.

Speaking of pieces…for my birthday, a friend gave me this vase/dish. What it looks like is that somebody threw it on the floor, picked up the kazillion pieces, then stuck them all back together again. When I opened it–in front of quite a few people–I said, “Wow, this looks like my life: smashed and stuck back together.” 🙂 The words just slipped out and I was hoping she didn’t take it the wrong way because I love it. It’s beautiful. It’s full of hope and promise and redemption. I don’t think I’ve ever had a birthday present speak to me the way this one did and still does. From what I gather, she was only thinking that it looked like something I’d like…but God knew.

Still wrestling with my fear

I am. But I have come such a long way. Lately, on a couple of firsts or big steps, I’ve “taken God with me” instead of somebody else or instead of as an extra person. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking people or utilising support and I think God gives us others for that very reason many times. He doesn’t expect us to be super-heroes in the middle of excruciating pain. Now, though, I am so much more stable and stronger. I operate within my everyday life quite ok but outside of those parameters can still be a challenge.

I wanted to start fighting some of these fears head-on. Realistically, I know there is nothing to be afraid of in the situation–it is merely that my mind/body have been conditioned to view them as risk. I’m not afraid of what might happen in the situation, but rather afraid of what will happen if I can’t COPE in the situation. Long-time readers know that is a very valid fear. It’s an old fear but a big monster and a harsh task-master and I’m tired of being ruled by it.

So lately, I’ve done some new things that were huge for me and I did them without another person and/or any backup nearby. And I survived. 🙂 Actually, not only did I survive, I did them well in the moment. That is some kind of elation, I tell you!! One the way to one thing, I was like, “Now, God, you know I’m trusting you solely to come through for me on this. If you let me down, it’s going to be so hard for me to ever contemplate doing it again…” That was the biggest one and I so nearly pulled out, deciding that I couldn’t do it, but He came through for me. The thing with that is it’s broken down a massive barrier now and my success in that one has paved the road for a lot of other firsts, rather than it being a stand-alone victory. There is freedom that comes with that…and the taste is sweet.

[To be continued…]

Hope

Once you choose hope, anything is possible. Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow.

–Author Unknown

Sweet Dreams

I dreamt about Steve last night. It's the first time in ages. I'm not the kind of person who tends to dream about the things I think about. I tend to dream about people and events that I never think about. 😛 I'd be lucky if I've even dreamed about Steve enough in the nearly-two years since he's been gone to break out two hands, let alone double digits.

So it's always a nice treat because it feels like a visit with him. I wake up happy to have been given that "gift", even though it's not reality. I woke up happy this morning. I'd got to run and meet the truck when he got home from somewhere and hug and hug and hug him. I guess that part of reality did come through in the dream somehow…it wasn't a regular "glad you're home" reaction…there was a definite sense of being ecstatic to see him and hug him after an absence.

Unlike usual, though, it was a little bit harder to take today. Maybe it was because it was so real and then I went to church and sat in a similar area to where we used to sit that I haven't sat in for a while. In remembering being there with him, I could almost feel it. That was a bit hard to take for a while. The old sick feelings of the permanence of his absence came back briefly. It's been quite a while since that has been a regular companion. I still miss him…probably always will…but I rarely feel the "sickness of death" that used to be my constant companion.

In some ways, it's a good reminder: of where I was and how far I've come. The dreams, however, are always a good reminder of good times with a good man. I was re-reading what I wrote for the funeral (under my "About Me" tab) last night–which is probably actually why I did have the dream I did–and was just thinking how thankful I am that I wrote so much down over the past couple of years. It's so easy for the details to get pushed aside by the stresses of life but I have these records in spite of what tricks my memory plays on me. I never knew when I first started blogging what a valuable resource it would be. 🙂

It Would Have Been 2 Years

Today was my wedding anniversary. I've marked both of them alone. Such craziness isn't too common. I did really well till 8:30 tonight. But I'm just realising how much energy it took to keep that positive momentum going all day. Now, I'm exhausted and not doing so well. But still, I'm in such a better place than I was this time last year so I guess that counts for something…

Sun & Surf

This is the third summer that I've lived here but the first summer that I've swum here. Today was the first day that I've ever "gone to the beach" (as in, to get wet) here. That's really sad–particularly because there is actually a really cool swimming beach within reach! I had no idea. :( 

The first year, we were too busy renovating our house and planning a wedding and travelling back and forth between town and city–in the middle of peak business time–to have any time to swim here. Plus it often gets quite cool, even cold, at night here in summer. 

Last year, I guess I was too fragile. And let's face it: we don't get that many hot days. 😛 People around here break out their shorts and singlets when it gets to 25*C–if they didn't, they'd probably only get to wear summer clothes for two weeks a year! 😉

I'd gone with just one of my friends and we really had been quite unmotivated about making the half an hour drive but it was definitely worth it! I came home feeling very energised. 🙂 To tell the truth, though, I didn't actually swim. While the water was unexpectedly nice (I expected Arctic temperatures), it was quite cool and breezy down there (unlike here in town)…and I'm not into freezing. Without that, I would definitely have got totally wet. I did at least get about half wet. 

I've never seen so many cars lined up on a beach, though!! My comment was that it was almost as impressive as a wind-farm in Texas. 🙂 It's pretty cool to be allowed to drive right down onto it and park. We'd been there for a while when we saw 4WD ute starting to head our direction. Turns out it was another family in our house church who'd come down for a swim and tea on the beach. They had no idea we would be there but just happened to see us–and they had invited another two families!! We ended up gate-crashing their fish-and-chips (not really, we were invited) but they'd gate-crashed our spot to start off with. 🙂

While we were standing around eating, it dawned on me that I had just spent time at the beach with SIX little kids IN the water and I hadn't had any moments of even silent panic!!!!! That may not sound like a big deal but that is amazing! We're not talking perfectly calm, flat water or life-jackets or tightly held hands. I was definitely an extra pair of watchful eyes but it never occurred to me to abnormally worry or panic. I was perfectly ok. It was another moment of breakthrough and revelation.

When I was in Texas, we had a bonfire by a 'pond' on somebody's property. I was really edgy with the kids running back and forth to the pond. As it got dark and that was still going on, I had to leave. I couldn't stand it anymore. Actually, I'd waited a bit long. It wasn't till after I got back to the house and the shakiness/sick feelings/teariness hit that I realised just how much it had been getting to me. So today? I'm really stoked. 🙂