Monday, November 21, 2011

Never Change....

During his 8th grade year and a portion of his 9th grade year, Chad attended a boarding school in Pomfret, CT called The Rectory School.  Rectory is one of my most favorite places....partially because it was one of Chad's most favorite places, and partially because it's such a special and wonderful school.  Much of the staff actually resides right on campus, and many of them also serve as dorm parents.  Just think about that, my friends who are involved in education.  These precious people spend each day teaching kids, and many of them return home after that day (which all of us know can be a VERY long day) to supervise those same kids through their afternoon activities, dinner, studying, and bedtime.  And then they wake up and do it all over again....every day!!!  These are not people who have only chosen to teach;  I believe that each staff member must be called and ordained by God to educate children.  They focus not only on the reading, writing, and arithmetic portion of education......which, incidentally they do VERY well!  They also focus on educating each child to be the best person he/she can be....physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as well as intellectually.  I'm telling you.....these 'Rectory Folks', to whom I now refer as my 'Rectory Family', are not just regular people.  They are, each one of them, angels.  I know that Chad spent some of the happiest days of his life at Rectory, and I don't believe that I'll ever be able to find the words to express how deeply I love each one of those angels who so impacted Chad's life. 

Chad maintained friendships with several of his 'Rectory Buddies' and also with some of his teachers and dorm parents.  One of his closest friends, Lexy Carey, posted the most beautiful song on Chad's Facebook Wall, and I wanted to share it here with you.  When I wrote Lexy to ask her permission, she answered, telling me that Chad had actually sent this song to her only a couple of days before he left us.  Knowing that fills me with SO many emotions that I can't name them all.  And it also tells me that Rectory and Chad's most special Rectory friends remained in his heart and were as much a part of his life as during the time that he was physically with them.  On the day of Chad's funeral, a memorial service was held in the chapel on the Rectory Campus.  Lexy wrote and presented an amazing and touching tribute to Chad.  I believe she must be an angel, too!

Rectory Family, know that you are and will always be some of the most special people in my life!  Sometimes when I'm missing Chad the most, my mind drifts to Pomfret, and I remember the blanket of love that all of you wrapped him in while he was there and suddenly, I feel as though I'm wrapped in that same blanket.....your love travels all the way to Southeast Missouri.  I hope that you can feel my love traveling to Connecticut!

Love,
Julie

www.rectoryschool.org

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Holidays......

Hey All--
Tomorrow is the first day of  'Holiday Week', and I find that I'm bracing myself as if there were a VERY big guy in front of me, poised to punch me in the stomach!  I guess this is the beginning of  'the firsts'.  I knew it was coming, and knew that there was no way I could ever be ready.   Chad loved Thanksgiving.  For most of his life, he was very much a 'family guy', and he especially liked his Grandma's cheesy potatoes and 'that stuff' (because he could never remember what 'dressing' was called).  We ate at a restaurant once when Chad was about 8 or 9.  He HATED it...said 'eating out is NOT Thanksgiving, and I hope we'll never do this again!'  We didn't....and won't.

We initially didn't think that Annie-Laurie would be able to join us for Thanksgiving.  The Egg Bowl (big annual football game between Mississippi State and The School Up North----we MS State fans don't say Ole Miss outloud!!!) is on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so Annie-Laurie will spend her Thanksgiving Break in Starkville at football practice!!  So, I'd been racking my brain, thinking of what my parents and I could do for Thanksgiving that wouldn't seem sad.  Eating at a restaurant-----definitely NOT an option!  I'm so happy that my Aunt Judy and Uncle Bob have graciously invited us to spend Thanksgiving with their family in Mississippi.  My Aunt Judy is my mom's youngest sister, and has always felt more like a sister than an aunt to me.  She and her family have truly been instrumental in this transition to 'The New Normal'.  Annie-Laurie and I stayed with them that first week this past June.  Thank goodness, my parents and I will be in a place we've never spent Thanksgiving before, my Aunt Judy, Uncle Bob, and my cousins, Penny and Nicholas will be there, AND Annie-Laurie will be able to drive over from Starkville to join us!  I'm hoping for a happy family time, because that's exactly what Chad would want us to do!

I'm beginning to decorate for Christmas a little.....but I'm not going to worry about what the celebration of the day will look like.  It'll work out exactly as it should, and hopefully we can continue to happily celebrate the birth of our Savior.  After all, Chad lives in His house now!!!  And I'm sure Chad's been bugging Him about being 'Head Angel'!!!

I hope that you and your families have the most blessed Thanksgiving!  Take the day to tell each member of your family what a difference they've made in your life!  :)

Love,
Julie

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I'll Remember

Hey!


It's been awhile since I've written...1) I've had some internet issues; and 2) I've lacked inspiration.  This "New Normal" has been a roller-coaster, as, I know,  is life in general.  It's, in many ways, difficult to believe that six months ago today was the beginning of the 'forever change' in my family's life.  Sometimes it seems like yesterday, and sometimes it seems so remote that I think it must have been a bad dream.  The one consistency is that I've noticed that the 'ups' on the roller-coaster aren't nearly as 'up there' as they were when Chad was here....amid all the happy times, there's a sadness that he's not here sharing them with us.  I DO continue to feel his presence always, but I miss seeing his face, hearing his giggle, and just experiencing 'him'!

But, UGH!!  I don't want this, my first entry in a long while, to be a downer!!!  So I have to share a story with you.  About three weeks ago, I had made a mad dash into my house, headed from my parents' house to meet Annie-Laurie in Nashville.  I'd just run in to grab a couple of things before getting back on the road.  As I walked through the middle of the house, I heard music coming from upstairs.  I should back up here and tell you that when I first came back to Cape, the alarm would go off in Chad's bedroom.  It was constantly 'on' because it never woke Chad up, and each morning I would go into his room to wake him myself, with his alarm blaring, and him sound asleep!  So, needless to say, after about the second time I heard the alarm, the clock, radio, EVERYTHING was turned to 'off'!!!  So, back to the music.  KNOWING I'd turned the thing off, I went upstairs, hearing the music all the way up.  When I got to his desk, I began to listen to the words:  'Don't forget to remember me...'  It was a song I hadn't heard before.  You see, Chad loved music, and especially country music.  He would often bring his computer to me so that he could play me a new song that he'd discovered.  So here he was, sharing another new one with me!  I only listened to a part of the song that day, and told Chad outloud that there was no way in this world that I'd EVER forget to remember him!!  It was only last week that I heard the song by Carrie Underwood in its entirity on the radio.  Since I didn't recognize the song initially, I didn't know if I'd ever hear the whole thing again, or even know what the song was.  But the day I heard it on the radio, I knew immediately that it was 'our song'.

Now, under normal circumstances, Chad would SOOO roll his eyes at me if I ever referred to a song as 'our song' , and I'm sure he'd have been devistated to think that I'd tell the world that we have a song.  But I kinda think in this case he won't mind.

Chad....I definitely won't forget to remember!!!  Love you!

Mom