I safely made it to Eden Valley last Thursday evening, and I'm so grateful to be here. The weather is getting better and better and there is a nice bunch of people here right now. This place has a lot of potential, and lots of dedicated hands to bring into fruition whatever the Lord has planned here. I pray that He will continue to guide and lead.
I'm also thankful that I was able to see Cindy, who was one of my roommates at Uchee Pines when I took the Lifestyle Counselor course in 2007. She is the one who lost her 23-year old daughter in a tragic drowning accident here on campus in June of this year. I met Brittany when I came to visit last winter. She was a nice and lively girl. After her passing, Cindy got a lot of support from Eden Valley family and beyond, however she felt she couldn't stay here, as everything would remind her of Brittany. She and her eldest son Eric finally left campus yesterday evening - after a long process of packing. She likes to keep things, and thus there was indeed a lot to pack. In addition, all of Brittany's belongings needed to be stowed in boxes, since Cindy didn't want to give away anything. However, she felt she couldn't go through these items by herself. So I was glad to help her with this task, which ended up being a little journey through Brittany's life ("this was one of her favorite shirts" - " these are her pictures from high school graduation" - "This she gave me for my last birthday", etc.) I think she has been coping with the loss of her daughter in a healthy way, since it is normal that you want to talk about the person you have lost. We had good conversations and we also cried together. In fact, I was able to relate some happenings pertaining to my grandfather's passing in 2008. At that time, I was volunteering right here at Eden Valley. He had become very ill and I learned that he was dying. When I arrived in Germany couple of days later, he had already passed away. Cindy couldn't see her daughter alive anymore either. But God never makes a mistake, and I'm thankful that He has been helping her through this terrible loss. Indeed, the packing was a tedious task, but finally, also with the help of some ladies from campus, they were ready to go. I pray that Cindy and Eric will make it safely to Tulsa, Oklahoma, were they are going to live now.
So now the relaxing part of my vacation begins. I can’t express how relieved I am to be out of the city for a little while. I think I had almost forgotten how it is to live in the country! The weather has been gorgeous today - warm & sunny, blue sky, and beautiful fall colors on campus. This morning, I decided to go to the graveyard, which is about a 10 minute walk uphill. The gravestone they got for Brittany is beautiful; and she has a marvelous, peaceful place to rest. Besides some other people, there is also a 2-year old child buried there who died back in the 70’s - also through a tragic accident. I was thinking what a happy place this will be on resurrection morning…
I'm also thankful that I was able to see Cindy, who was one of my roommates at Uchee Pines when I took the Lifestyle Counselor course in 2007. She is the one who lost her 23-year old daughter in a tragic drowning accident here on campus in June of this year. I met Brittany when I came to visit last winter. She was a nice and lively girl. After her passing, Cindy got a lot of support from Eden Valley family and beyond, however she felt she couldn't stay here, as everything would remind her of Brittany. She and her eldest son Eric finally left campus yesterday evening - after a long process of packing. She likes to keep things, and thus there was indeed a lot to pack. In addition, all of Brittany's belongings needed to be stowed in boxes, since Cindy didn't want to give away anything. However, she felt she couldn't go through these items by herself. So I was glad to help her with this task, which ended up being a little journey through Brittany's life ("this was one of her favorite shirts" - " these are her pictures from high school graduation" - "This she gave me for my last birthday", etc.) I think she has been coping with the loss of her daughter in a healthy way, since it is normal that you want to talk about the person you have lost. We had good conversations and we also cried together. In fact, I was able to relate some happenings pertaining to my grandfather's passing in 2008. At that time, I was volunteering right here at Eden Valley. He had become very ill and I learned that he was dying. When I arrived in Germany couple of days later, he had already passed away. Cindy couldn't see her daughter alive anymore either. But God never makes a mistake, and I'm thankful that He has been helping her through this terrible loss. Indeed, the packing was a tedious task, but finally, also with the help of some ladies from campus, they were ready to go. I pray that Cindy and Eric will make it safely to Tulsa, Oklahoma, were they are going to live now.
So now the relaxing part of my vacation begins. I can’t express how relieved I am to be out of the city for a little while. I think I had almost forgotten how it is to live in the country! The weather has been gorgeous today - warm & sunny, blue sky, and beautiful fall colors on campus. This morning, I decided to go to the graveyard, which is about a 10 minute walk uphill. The gravestone they got for Brittany is beautiful; and she has a marvelous, peaceful place to rest. Besides some other people, there is also a 2-year old child buried there who died back in the 70’s - also through a tragic accident. I was thinking what a happy place this will be on resurrection morning…
No comments:
Post a Comment