Remembering Curtis

Hello Monday...gosh it's the last week of January?! How did that happen already?? Crazy.

BUT this DOES mean that we are inching closer and closer to MY BIRTHDAY!! (Which, BTW, is next Monday, February 1!)

I am actually excited about my birthday. I'm turning 32 and I have come to realize that every birthday, heck every DAY, is a gift. I am very thankful.

We were reminded of this gift especially today. January 25, 2008 we lost a very dear friend of ours. Curtis and Jack were in the same class in school and graduated in '94. After graduation, Curtis and his wife, Angie, and Jack and I hung out all the time. Our Zachary, and their son, Hoyce are in the same class at school and have been best buddies since they were born. For years it was t-ball, baseball, hunting, fishing, and whatever else they could get into together...believe me they did! Curtis was always the life of ANY party! He was just a joy to be around. It helps to remember all the fun memories on a day like today when our hearts are sad.

Jack was here at home on a Friday afternoon when Curtis and Angie stopped by on their way home from PB. They had just recently sold their home and were looking at property to build again. He asked Jack if he wanted to go look at it with him and Angie went on home, and off the guys went. Typical;-) They were just big BOYS, off to play. They went and checked out the property and talked and whatever else they did when they were together. After about 3 hours or so, Jack took Curtis home. Not long after that, Curtis kissed Angie and Hoyce goodbye and headed to PB to play music. Music was Curtis' passion. He was a gifted musician, playing the mandolin and truly making it sing. On his way to PB, not 5 miles outside of town, Curtis was involved in a car accident that instantly took his life.

I will remember the phone calls that started flooding in. People telling what they had heard, and was it true? We had yet to hear anything official, so we had no idea what to think, but panic was starting to set in. After a few minutes, a phone call came from Curtis' step-dad to confirm our very worst fears. Curtis was gone. The husband, father, son, brother, and best friend that we had all known and loved was gone.

I know this story is sad to read, but it ends with a happy note. Because Curtis was a Christian and had given his life to Christ, we will see him again someday in Heaven. We hold on to this promise on days like today, because it's all we have.

A book that I just recently found called, "God Is In The Tough Stuff", puts it like this:

"You may think that since tragedy has entered your life, God must have
turned His back on you. Or if He really loved you, He wouldn't let this
happen to you. But this line of thinking is flawed. FIRST, God
never promises anyone a life free from pain. So don't make the mistake
of thinking that God has abandoned you when hardship enters your life.
SECONDLY, the presence of hardship in your life does not imply the absence of God in your life. To the contrary, you can be sure
that God is there and wants to reveal himself to you when you are experiencing difficulties.
Rather than approaching your tough times with the
attitude that God has vanished, use these circumstances to find God. HE IS THERE. And He isn't hiding. He wants you to feel His
presence. He wants you to sense His love for you. He desires for you
to understand His purposes for allowing these difficulties in your life.
God doesn't remove the difficulty and pain. But He will be there with
you through it all. He is with you when the going gets tough, but He's a
perfect gentleman. He won't carry your load unless you ask Him to."

I am so thankful that I can rejoice in the fact that we serve a God who CARES. Who cares when we hurt, and when we are sad. Because on days like today when our hearts are so sad, we can look up and Him and, with tears in our eyes, give Him our burdens.

"Thank you, Jesus for carrying our burdens when our load gets too heavy. And thank you for living in Curtis' heart so that we know we will see him again someday. I pray that You, O Lord, are joining in His Heavenly band today and playing at the most amazing party we could ever imagine. Thank you for easing our hurt and allowing us to smile with hope today. In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen."

In memory of Curtis, please treat today as a gift.

Love y'all :-)

xoxo