A Life Well-Lived

Three weeks ago today, one of those things you want to pretend doesn’t happen, happened … Very dear friends lost a daughter and a sister, a ‘newly-wed’ is now a widower, my daughter is without her best friend. We lost a ray of sunshine that day and have been left with a gaping hole in our hearts. Try as I might… I just can’t keep that stuffed neatly in a box and talk about the weather or the wildlife… I have wrestled and wrestled with the appropriateness of blogging this. The last thing I want to do is bring more pain into a desperately painful time in so many lives, but some how a moose in my yard and even a volcano brewing nearby just doesn’t seem to matter right now, so my blog has waited while I pondered what to do… I recently found a card, that changed my perspective from ‘how can I blog this?’ to ‘how can I not blog this!' and I am praying that I can honor the life of this dear young friend by sharing some things with you.

A Life Well-Lived

is a precious gift

of hope and strength and grace

from someone who has made our world

a brighter, better place.

It’s filled with moments sweet and sad,

with smiles and sometimes tears,

with friendships formed

and good times shared

and laughter through the years.

A Life Well-Lived

is a legacy

of joy and pride and pleasure,

a loving, lasting memory

our grateful hearts will treasure.

Our family met Alaina and her family several years ago at RAF Lakenheath, England. We were part of an amazing homeschooling community together. We learned together, played together and became part of a 'family' that it seems only those who have been stationed overseas can truly understand. Alaina was full of life and could not walk into a room unnoticed. Her zeal was always contagious and inspiring! Many of my early memories have her and Gerad ‘butting heads’ over one topic or another (usually something to do with creation science, but not always). Many times the ‘innocent bystanders’ in these debates just sat and listened to the two of them saying virtually the same thing, each certain that they were right and the other was crazy! (And of course those bystanders thought they were both crazy!) I remember her patience with the younger children and her willingness to help out in any way she could. Their love and courage as a family also stands out as an awesome example as they did things that most of us wouldn’t even think of let alone follow through on. In the last year we were in England and after returning to the states, Rachel and Alaina became even closer. Their house in Omaha was in the direct path we took from California to Texas (just trust me on that one okay?!) so that friendship continued to grow and be a very important part of our lives. Our most vivid memories are, of course, those from the week leading up to Rachel and Cain’s wedding, and the days following. Sightseeing in San Francisco, enjoying a cup of tea with her while Rachel slept, making bouquets, the limo ride, and Bodega Bay after the wedding.. We will never, never forget those days! But… that’s not what this blog is about…

This blog is about a Life Well Lived, and the legacy that Alaina left us.

In the hours and days immediately following her death I just kept thinking two things… and as I read the words on that card I decided that Alaina would want you to know them.

The first one is that life is short… We’re not promised tomorrow, not a single one of us! I think Alaina always understood this and crammed more life into her 20 years than many people even dream of doing in a 40, 60, or 80 year lifetime! She had a zeal for life that came from knowing Christ as her Lord and Saviour and was full of His joy. She touched so many lives that 500+ people attended her funeral… what a legacy to leave behind! I am committing to live my life to the fullest, to take more chances, to love more, laugh more and to do a better job letting Jesus live ‘out loud’ in my life!

The second thought I had was that eternity is very long… for me this is a sweet, sweet comfort! Knowing that we will have the joy of spending an eternity worshipping, feasting and celebrating along with her brings peace in the midst of the these hard days. To those who are unsure of eternity, it may not be so comforting. I think Alaina would want you to know that true peace and true joy come only through a relationship with Jesus Christ and would encourage you to seek that out. If you haven’t ever confessed Christ as Lord, and obeyed Him in baptism please consider that… be absolutely sure about your eternity.
The last 3 weeks have indeed been the hardest weeks of my life and I know that what I feel is only a drop in a bucket compared to many others. Alaina was truly a gift to all of us who knew her, she made our world a brighter, better place and she is and will always be missed more than words can even begin to describe. While we can’t begin to understand God’s ways, we trust in his promises and will live in great expectation of the day when we will be together again, in a place where there are no tears and no goodbyes. Until then, we will remember her Christ like spirit and her life and legacy will live on in our hearts and in the way we live our lives.