The time continues

The week has been mixed with good and hard times. The house hasn't gotten stucco'd yet, so there is a great big sandpile in the back where the kids have been having a great time playing.

My cousin Hollie and my Uncle Dan, mom's brother, took such good care of us while they were here. They came for a whole week, leaving just today, and spent everyday here at the house cooking, cleaning, watching the kids when we were all planning the funeral service, and just generally ministering to our bodies and hearts. It was a really sweet time for us, having family around and being able to relax without having to worry about food prep and cleaning and stuff.

Today we buried mom's ashes in the amazing urn that Darren, my sister Jenna's boyfriend, built for her. He made it out of purple heart wood, at mom's request, and put a Cala Lily that he cut out by hand on it, which was mom's favorite flower. This was another in a list of hard times we've had this week, but an important final step in honoring mom's life.

Boy has auntie Laurel become a huge favorite of Ezra's. He has just attached to her, giving her lots of hugs and kisses and just really loving to play with her. She's loved having him attach to her and they're having lots of fun playing together! In fact as I write this he's doing loops around the couch chanting "auntie Laurel!" while she tickles and plays with him:)

My uncle Dan was missing his twin 5 year old grandsons (Hollie's boys) but Eli was only too happy to fill in, and the two spent many hours talking about superhero's and reading books, memories that Eli will not soon forget!

So that's been the last few days. hard and also filled with some joyful times, which are bound to come as mom loved it when we all had a good time together and enjoyed each other. A good friend of mine from Denver, Rick Albu, sent me a verse that I have been pondering the last couple days from the book of Psalms. In 116:15, it says "precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." I know that mom's death was something that was God cared about deeply, and I also take from this passage that God cares also about those who are left behind to mourn the loss. We're taking much strength from the prayers of family and friends who continue to lift us all up to the throne, thank you so much.

Some have asked what they can do for us, and to be honest, we don't have a lot of ideas. People up here have brought over food for us, which has been very helpful, especially as we feed the 17-18 of us each day. However, for those farther away we do greatly appreciate prayers, cards, and calls (email for contact info). Or you can have us over for dinner when we get home, as for now we continue to not have our eyes on any homes in particular! Thanks for all the caring and support, we've appreciated it a lot!