14 March 2008
Karen would have been 37 today. We have a family tradition of going out to eat to celebrate birthdays and the children all have said on mom’s birthday there is no question where we should go, El Ranchero. It is Karen’s absolute favorite restaurant for Mexican food second only to Abuelo’s of which there aren’t any in Georgia.
A friend asked, “What do you think birthday’s are like in heaven?” Are they even observed? There are no hard and fast answers to those questions but milestones like today cause you to pause and think. Think about a lot. Sometimes too much if you’re not careful.
So before I launch off the deep end emotionally let’s get back to Mexican. Today will be the third time we’ve been to this restaurant since Karen went Home. The first time was a few weeks after her death. We have been going to this restaurant since 1992. We sat at our usual table and were delighted to see our usual waiter. The children told him the reason Karen wasn’t with us was that she had passed away.
Now you need to understand that this waiter doesn’t speak the best English. He says, “That’s great” to almost everything you say to him. You’ve probably guessed his response to hearing of Karen’s passing. Yep, “That’s great”!
The children had looks of horror on their faces. JD was ready to tear the poor guy apart and Rachel said he was rude, obnoxious and mean! I quickly explained to the children what a language challenge was and that he meant absolutely nothing by his reply. I told them if you had said to him, “You are about to be robbed at gunpoint and then be hit by a meteor,” his reply would have still been, “That’s great”.
It’s now a standing family joke when we think of the restaurant. Even the four year old can quote you most of the story.
I’m so thankful to have the children today. To cry with, laugh with and celebrate with. Praise God, Karen is celebrating (if they do that in heaven) her 37th birthday free of nausea, pain and other unspeakable suffering.
Until next time,
Darren
PS – I still plan to finish the story of the last days we spent Karen but recalling that time has proven more daunting than I thought it would. Please continue pray as often as you think of us.
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What Cancer Cannot Do
Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot suppress memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot steal eternal life
It cannot conquer the spirit.
Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot suppress memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot steal eternal life
It cannot conquer the spirit.
6 comments:
Happy Birthday with Jesus? Its gotta be so very good, the best in fact, sittin at the feet of Jesus. Better than Mexican food? Oh yes she is havin the feista of all time. !!I still wish Karen were here to play and party with. Selfish of me i know. But to be at peace with Jesus forever-WOW!!We love you and are prayin-tp
Our thoughts and prayers are exspecially with you all today! God Bless you all!
The Mudge's (Olathe, Kansas)
Darren and Kids,
I had no idea that Karen's birthday had just passed. Please forgive me for not calling. I know you are happy she is with the Lord, but I also know that the first birthday is a really hard one. You are all in our prayers daily. I know this is silly, but I kept thinking about the Old Testament passages that refer to the promised land as "a land flowing with milk and honey." Who knows, maybe there is a place for Karen in Heaven that is flowing with cheese sauce and refried beans :). We love you guys, and we are here for you.
Love,
Travis, Sarah, and Adlen
I PRAY FOR U ALL ON A DAILY BASIS...I HAVE WRITTEN A FEW OTHER TIMES, I HAVE BEEN WIDOWED NEARLY 10 YEARS AND HAD YOUNG CHILDREN AS U DO....KEEP YOUR FAITH IN THE GOOD LORD....DON'T LET IT WAIVER....HE DOES PROVIDE...I REMEMBER ALL THE LITTLE THINGS THAT UPSET MY CHILDREN SHORTLY AFTER MY STEVE PASSED, PHONE CALLS, MAIL, THOSE ASKING ABOUT HIM WHEN WE WERE OUT AND ABOUT...TIME DOES HEAL MY FRIEND...TRUST ME IN MY WORDS...HAVE A BLESSED ST PATS DAY...WITH CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP IN WIDOWHOOD, AN ANGEL OF PRAYER IN KC, MO.....JEN MILLER
Thank you for sharing Karen's birth date with us. I pray for you all daily. May God bless you all.
L.Taylor
Thanks for sharing your story of the waiter at the mexican restuarant. Mexican is my favorite too (Karen had good taste) and I totally get the language barrier thing. Can you imagine how he would have felt had he figured it out later? I'm glad the kids can laugh about it. Kids are just so sweet. I'm glad you have them to get through this heartache with. Just share the rest of your story when you're ready. I know it's hard to go back there and it may be a very long time before you're ready. Your family will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. God bless!
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