TGIF to you all! The butterfly count is 14 and it looks as if we (FWISD) teachers are not going to be docked for our missed days last week and I am not sure about making the days up. For a first week back from a surprise vacation, the week has gone quite well.

Today the farm animals came to visit our school. The kids and I had a wonderful time with horses, goats and chickens. The kids loved the animals but were most interested in “poop.” I, however, was most interested in chickens. I learned a lot about chickens today. There are meat productions chickens and laying hens. These hens are free range hens. The owner of the animals brought two dozen fresh eggs to show to the children. When we opened them up it looked like a box of perfectly dyed Easter eggs. I found out you can tell what the color of the eggs will be by looking at the hens earlobes. (I never knew hens had ear lobes!) There were white ones, brown ones, green ones, pink ones, blue ones and other really beautiful colors. To make this long story short, I came home with the two dozen eggs and we each had eggs for a snack this afternoon. They were delicious.

Luke 4:18 “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,…to set at liberty them that are bruised,”

Last night I was looking for a pair of sandals I was planning to wear today to school. As I was searching in, under and around things in our room I came upon a bag from MD Anderson. It was a bag I was given as a thank you for donating blood while I lived with Casey. I found a package mailed to me by my best friend, Carme. Inside the package were two dishtowels embroidered in yellow. The embroidery showed hearts that had been incorporated with the yellow ribbon; the symbol of sarcoma cancer.

As I continued my search for the other sandal I came across a small forest green box and inside was a necklace. On the pendant was written “simply ’02.” That was the year Casey graduated from high school. Between the dish towels and Travis’ graduation very close this brought back so many memories and my heart began to break all over again.

As Bruce and I lay in bed just before sleep, we talked and the tears began to spill from both of us. We lost Casey 7 months ago yesterday. We spoke of the places that brought us peace. For Bruce it is the time we were allowed to spend with Casey in the last year. In his travels recently, he has encountered several men who have lost sons and daughters. With those, death came by way of automobile accident or suicide – instant, profound loss.God allowed us to see a side of our son we might not have ever seen, but God allowed us precious time. There was never a time when we were not close by; whether in the hospital, in the hospital bed in our dining room or miles away in Houston. For me, the place of peace will always be when Casey told me he was not afraid.

This scripture is such a great comfort to anyone who has experienced loss of any kind. God’s compassion and love for us has no bounds. God shares our hurts and then tells us in His Word that He will “bind our wounds.” God tells us He will cover us in His love like a big warm hug. He knows when our hearts are broken and torn apart. God suffered loss when His Son was crucified. God understands and he is acting in obedience to what His Father told Him to do.

As I prayed before falling asleep I asked to be soaked in the healing balm of God’s grace. And then it dawned on me, how do those who do not know God get through the experience of loss? Those people must grope around in the darkness searching for some light, some understanding, something to hang onto or a place to go. Isn’t it amazing that we who know God know exactly where to go and to whom? We have no question that when we go to God, He will be there. God will be there to “bind our wounds,” “heal our broken hearts,” and soak us in the healing balm of His ever present love and grace. Take care my friends and love you all.

Take joy in the journey. Love, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.