Finding Joy…10 months
I love this picture. This was a dream come true for Aspen and she was filled with so much JOY!
As I sit and reflect on 2024 I have a hard time even remembering anything that happened outside of loosing Aspen. Finding Joy in this season has been hard! Life continued to move on. We had ballet recitals, gymnastics meets & soccer games. We celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. We cried more tears than anyone should have to cry. I spent many nights holding crying siblings who miss their sister followed by crying myself to sleep wondering how we would survive; wondering if we were strong enough to keep going. We battled fear, nightmares and moments of sheer panic. We were angry…so angry. Angry with God, angry with the driver, angry with Aspen, and angry with ourselves. I think there will always be those things that each of us wishes we would have done, or said.
How do you find joy when life isn’t ever going to be the same again? We have had to fight to find joy so that the grief doesn’t overwhelm us. We found joy in spending more time with each other. Joy in remembering crazy things that Aspen did, joy in watching sunsets, joy in hearing stories of how Aspen’s life is impacting so many, especially the stories of salvation. The grief is still there, heavy and unavoidable, but the joy is becoming easier to feel. Psalm 30:11-12—You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent, O LORD my God, I will give you thanks.
We, as a family, are learning to be more intentional. Intentional with our time, with our relationships, with our moments with The Lord, and with really looking and asking God to show us what He is doing in all of this. We are intentionally asking Him to open doors that only HE can open. We are praying for open doors in legistation. There are some things that need change! We are praying for open doors in ministry opportunities, specifically in the prison system. The moment that wreck happened our worlds were forever intertwined with the driver and his family. I am still in awe as to what that has actually looked like so far. It is supernatural and something only God could continue to weave. There have been kind words shared back and forth and prayers between our families. This is stuff you don’t ever hear about happening or even expect to happen in these situations. Our journey is so hard, but they have a different really hard journey as well. How amazing would it be for us to somehow be able to share along side the driver and his family. The story of forgivness, redemption & salvation. The message of HOPE in Jesus! You are not your mistakes. That is not your identity! You have the power to choose to change..with the help of Jesus! A message like this could change generations! That is exciting to dream about and press into as we wait for The Lord to direct our steps. One day, when I get to Heaven and get to see Jesus, Levi, and Aspen, I also look forward to seeing all of the lives changed from this-to seeing the ripple effect that comes when we truly trust God, even in the hard.
In 2024 we spoke at 9 schools. It is truly amazing that things came together that quickly. We spoke at our first school in May-just 2 months after Aspens wreck. I look back and realize we were probably totally crazy to take that on! We were still in such deep grief and shock. Most of our memories from that school are pretty cloudy. I am thankful we took that step. May ISD was such a sweet school. The staff and students were all so kind and encouraging. It really was the perfect school for us to launch on. We had a pretty busy fall getting to speak at 8 schools between August and December! Each school we spoke at was amazing and we are so thankful to be in west Texas where schools have amazing leadership and amazing students.
We are so thankful for our partnership with TxDot, Kristi Harwell, Jill Christie, and Texas DPS Trooper, Srgt. Marc Couch. We really couldn’t do this without them. They quickly became family. We love them dearly and love that they have the same mission as we do-helping people realize the impact One Choice can have and helping us share Aspen’s story.
We have about 6 events scheduled for 2025 so far. There are several others that are tentative at this time. We will do our best to share those events as they are coming up.
Thank you for going on this journey with us. Encouraging us, praying for us, giving to us, and standing with us! This journey isn’t about us. It is about what God wants to do THROUGH us and you are a part of that! Every time you share Aspen’s story, walk in forgiveness, choose kindness, bless those who hurt you, praise God when satan is storming your life, every time you lift your hands in worship, YOU take back ground that satan has stolen. You claim the victory that Jesus will one day return and fully take!
Let’s take a stand together and make 2025 the year we take back what is ours…let’s make the devil wish that he had never messed with us!