FAQ: How are we doing?

This is the most frequently asked question I get… so I thought I would drop on and share with the masses! First, we miss Chris soooo much!  There isn’t a day, heck an hour, or even a minute that goes by where we aren’t thinking of him in some capacity. We have mistakenly tried calling or texting his phone – which I still have! If you hung out with the kids and me, you would hear us talking about Chris A LOT!  He brought so much joy and so much wisdom to our family! We share so many stories and thoughts he had shared with each of us over the years. We absolutely LOVE talking about Chris.  It brings us great joy and sooo much laughter to talk about him!  There are nights we are belly laughing at stories about Chris or we mimic things he would say or little dance moves!  We each have our time of grief and tears in addition to the many happy memories!  I won't tell you that everything is all unicorns and rainbows, but I will tell you that all things considered, we are doing well!

FAQ: How was EASTER SUNDAY?

WOW! Easter this year was absolutely mind-blowing…. Yeah, we knew the meaning behind Easter. We celebrated every year. We know that Jesus died for our sins. We know this sacrifice is what allows us into Heaven. BUT with the recent loss of Chris this is next level stuff for us! To use an expression Elle loves, “it hits different” this year!  Easter is the reason Chris had great comfort with where he was heading. His heart was so full of peace even in his final days. He would often say “I’m good.”  Easter is the reason we can take comfort in where Chris is! I have never been as giddy about heading to a church service as I was this Easter Sunday. Our faith family absolutely delivered an incredible service to remind us that Jesus is always with us if we have our eyes open to him! We need Jesus to handle life!

FAQ: How are the kids?

Our kids are thriving!  If you hadn’t known their story, you may not have any idea when you see them go about the day-to-day things! While we each have our own way of grieving on our own timeline, we are continuing to do all the things! We embrace the grief when it hits and keep trudging forward.

EJ is an active member in the theater department at Heritage – recently having a dual role in MacBeth (sorry I said the name). Chris’s mom treated EJ to weekly voice lessons, so they have a night out together each week! I can’t wait to hear the result of this in the fall musical. He has found a wonderful community of friends among his theater connections!  EJ is learning to drive – please pray for me and my patience!

Elle is sad to be experiencing her “lasts” at Holy Cross as she has found her people at Holy Cross, and now she is preparing to head to high school.  The high school decision has been made; Elle will be a HERITAGE CHRISTIAN EAGLE next year!  She is nervous about the transition to high school, especially a new school, and sad to be leaving her dear friends from Holy Cross. This spring, she made a brave decision as an 8th grader to try a NEW SPORT – lacrosse!  Fortunately for Elle, she is a natural athlete so she will likely pick up the game quickly!  She is lighthearted with sports and loves playing to move her muscles and be with friends!  Elle works hard and finds ways to laugh at herself with a new sport!

Emily was thrilled to transition from basketball to lacrosse season! She says lacrosse is her favorite sport! Her speed is going to play a factor in her success!  Chris always told us he was the fastest in the family and didn’t need to prove facts! Ha! We recently discovered Emily will carry on Chris’s talent for writing and public speaking!  She has a gift for both!  Her heart for God has grown tremendously over the last year and I am thrilled to see her put it into words.

FAQ: How are you?

I spend my days running kids, teaching classes at the Y, selling shirts, running some of Chris’s fundraising groups, and working administrative miracles.  I have spent a lot of time cleaning up all of our accounts with contact and payment information, closing out accounts, getting business tax documentation in line for our accountant, sending death certificates to everyone and their brother, insisting that customer service people cannot actually speak to Chris, and shaking my head at some business procedures and requirements! While it can be exhausting, I have met some incredible resources along the way!

FAQ: Do you have people there to help you?

It is crazy to look at the incredible community we have around us!  What makes us deserve all of these people?  God is good! He has aligned our lives with thoughtful and generous people! We are so grateful for the people who are reaching out to share memories or pics of Chris, make us laugh, offer help – big & small, just letting us know they prayed for us, and keeping us on the invite list!  People say that a lot of times your community disappears after the funeral, ours is different! We have our eyes opened for the blessings that God is putting around us and we see it happening! Our faith family at church has grown – we are continuing to make connections. Sports/activities parents are jumping right in to help with rides! Chris’s brothers, our neighborhood guy friends, former coaches, and some of the men from church are making extra efforts to pour into EJ with “dude stuff.”  New connections from daily life are reaching out and praying for and with us! Friends are coming over and inviting us to join them for things! We continue to lean into life around us and it brings us so much joy!  These blessings from God are keeping us in a good mental space!  Please pray that we can continue to keep our eyes open to the many blessings that God has put around us!  We are so grateful for the faith legacy that Chris has left us!

Love,
Heather, EJ, Elle, & Emily