Remembering an old friend

Less than week from today – Thursday, April 15, 2010 marks the one year anniversary of James Lavell Dobson’s death. I think mostly everyone that knew him would agree that his life was taken all too soon. However, he was thankful for the time he had on this beautiful earth and that helps me to be a little more at ease.
I met Lavell for the first time my freshman year of high school. He had the brightest smile and a booming laugh that you could hear echoing through the halls of Monroe City High School. There are so many things that run through my head when I look back at the time spent there with Lavell. Freshman basketball road trips, guitar lab, Giltner’s English classes, Bio with Mrs. Fuller, Varsity basketball road trips and so many more.
After graduating high school, we kind of lost touch. It was when I heard that he was sick that I got back into contact with him. It made me realize how fragile life is and how important to let a person know that they have made the world a better place. Lavell lost his battle with cancer just a couple of short months after his 21st birthday. He was the first person in my class to lose his life, and I think we all realized how lucky we were to have that time with him.
Lavell, I know you are reading this – and I just want you to know that you are truly missed by all of those who knew you. You are remembered every day and I am so thankful our paths crossed on this earth!


Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used
Put no difference in your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It it the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,
Just around the corner.
All is well.

By Henry Scott Holland
Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral

Change

I have such a beautiful life. I truly have been blessed beyond measure and I am so thankful for that every single day. I am very excited/scared/nervous/sad/hopefully for all that God has in store for me in the upcoming months. I can't believe my time in Quincy is coming to an end. Am I ready? Yes, and no. I love it here, no matter what anyone else says! It is my home away from home and it has really grown on me over the past four years. However, I am also ready to begin the next chapter of my life. I never do well with change at first, but I always seem to come around eventually.

Some things I have to look forward to in the days/weeks/months to come:
April 2-5: Easter Break :)
April 17th: My Pops being ordained a Deacon in the Catholic Church after five years of formation.
April 27th: Haiti night at Jed's. Mark your calenders!!
May 8th: My first half-marathon. (Oh and Hawk Wild!)
May 23rd: Graduation
May 24th(ish): Little Miss Macy will be welcomed into this world, making me an aunt for the fifth time!
May 28th: Lake of the Ozarks.
July 5th: I begin my Master's program at Rockhurst :)

Life is all about change. Sometimes it's painful. Sometimes it's beautiful. Most of the time it's both.

Connected by something finer than words...

This is only a couple of months late, but I am finally getting around to sharing some of my experiences while I was in Haiti. As always, we go to the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Port Au Prince during our time in Haiti. I have to say this is a very necessary part of the trip! I think that no matter how many times I go to Haiti, the orphanage will be the hardest thing I will ever experience. All of those children tug at my heart, but there is always one in particular that grabs ahold of me more than the others. I told Katie LeGros that I liked to start in the rooms with the younger kids and move into the rooms with the older kids in it because it makes it easier for me to leave that way. However, this year was a little different. The little girl was about eight years old I would say. She was very hesitant at first, so I just held her hand. A few minutes later, she crawled up into my lap. She looked at me and a few tears rolled down her cheek. She was old enough to know that I, too would be leaving very soon just like everyone else that came into the orphanage. She just clung to me and it was the most heart wrenching thing to think about how much I would be breaking her heart when I left. She didn’t cry very much when I left, but she held onto my hand as long as she could. It took everything I had to leave the room before I started crying. With this experience I felt the value of human touch and how much I take it for granted. It’s so hard for me to imagine how much these children long for it every day. I couldn’t wait to hug my parents when I got home and tell them how much I love them! This picture is not of the child I met at the orphanage, but one of the many children who is in my heart every day!

The Mother Teresa Orphanage is now gone after the earthquake. It is a sad thing to think about, but I can only hope and pray that lives were spared.

Unexpected Visits

I have not written a blog in forever... my apologies! I meant to write one as soon as I returned from Haiti. However, with the aftermath of the earthquake I quickly consumed my time with fund raising and helping with the relief efforts and then came school! So here I am :) I will write about my Haiti trip later, but for now I am going to write about my weekend.

My weekend started out on Thursday. I surpised Brady in Jacksonville with a visit. He had meetings for awhile, so I hung out with Paula (Summers) for awhile. Can I just say that it was such a great visit?? As soon as I saw her run through the doors and yell "CELIE!!!!" so many memories came rushing back to me. It had been almost a year and a half since I had last seen Paula, but we talk every now and then. We had such a great visit... catching up on plans for next year and most importantly planning on when we would see each other again! March 20th :) I'm counting down the days!



Friday I went to Bloomington with The Frericks', Nate and Barnes to watch QND play in the IHSA state finals. They won Friday night, but lost in the Championship round to Bloomington Central Catholic on Saturday. Watching that game brought back so many emotions for me that I have buried for so long. I was quickly reminded of my last high school game and how much it kills me that I no longer play. They are a lot of fun to watch and they had a wonderful season. So congrats to the Lady Raiders! Yes Brady, I will miss watching them too! ;) This photo was on the front page of the whig Sunday and I thought it was too great to leave it out!



Also while I was in Bloomington, I was able to catch up with my cousin Brian Kurz, his wife Katie, and their daughter, Hannah. It was a last minute thing, but they took me out to dinner. It was so nice to catch up with them also. That is one thing that I miss very much about being a kid... spending time with my cousins and siblings. Everyone is growing up, getting married, starting families of their own. It is pretty awesome to watch, but it also has a bittersweet side to it.

My last unexpected visit was from my dear friend Levi Rash. He was in Quincy so he stopped by my house for awhile. I am so excited about living in Kansas City next year, and I think living with Levi and a couple of his friends will help take some of the nervousness away from me! I am constantly reminded that my time at QU is almost over. It is sad and exciting all at the same time! (By the way, Levi: CONGRATS on the internship in Virginia for this summer!)

Well, there you have it. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next :)

Haiti :)

I meant to post before now, but my break has gotten away from me. I leave for Haiti tomorrow, so I will post when I get back :)

Current Countdowns:

2 days until finals are over, which means HOME SWEET HOME!!
4 days until Yates Christmas
10 days until Christmas
13 days until Haiti
89 days until Spring Break
109 days until Easter Break
124 days until Dad’s Ordination
145 days until Bridge the Gap
160 days until Graduation
161 days until Baby Painter is due
162 days until Twin’s birthday
203 days until my first day of grad school

I'll love you forever, Twin

Tomorrow one of my best friends will be having surgery. Gabrielle, or as I like to call her, my twin... has a Chiari malformation. A Chiari malformation is a structural defect in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. When the indented bony space at the lower rear of the skull is smaller than normal, the cerebellum and brainstem can be pushed downward. The resulting pressure on the cerebellum can block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and can cause a range of symptoms including dizziness, muscle weakness, numbness, vision problems, headache, and problems with balance and coordination.

Unfortunately this week is finals week with me, so I won't be able to be in Chicago with her for the week as I would like. My prayer for her is that God will watch over her as she goes through the surgery and during her recovery. I also pray that the Lord will be with the surgeon as he operates on her. And lastly, that He will be with her family.

Twin, I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my twin you will be. Don't forget your prayers. I love you Gabbo!

Also, it's my Granny's 85th birthday tomorrow. So a special Happy Birthday wish goes out to my Granny. I hope it is wonderful!