faith

Frozen in Time - "From Loss To Life" Blog Post

Posted Tue, 10/20/2009 - 15:55 by Cheryl Darnell

What parent doesn’t enjoy proudly displaying photos of their kids? Come on...our kids grace just about every wall of our home. And I am truly blessed to have a mother-in-law who has generously made it a tradition to have her grandkids’ photos taken professionally every year. We got new shots done of Avery and Nathan just last week.

Sometimes it’s very difficult for me when I switch out photos to update my children’s pictures. I have photos on top of our mantle of all three kids. But only 2 get switched out regularly. Billy’s remains his 4 1/2 month photo in his adorable blue corduroy overalls. It’s a painful reminder of my inability to watch Billy grow up. As I notice the changes in Avery and Nathan as they grow and mature, I wonder what Billy would have looked like at each photo change.

Running Patiently - "From Loss To Life" Blog Post

Posted Wed, 10/14/2009 - 00:50 by Cheryl Darnell

The following is an excerpt from my journal 7 months after our son Billy died of SIDS. We had sold our home in Colorado, relocated to Texas in a temporary corporate apartment, boarded our cats, and were trying to figure out what to do next with our life.

October 30, 2008 -- Wow. What an amazing devotional I read today. It’s from L.B. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert, a devotional collection that has ministered to me several times over since I received it in college. This entry is from George Matheson. I’ve never thought about Hebrews 12:1, “Let us run with patience,” in this particular way.

Matheson says the word “running” suggests the absence of patience and an “eagerness to reach the goal.” But we consider patience to be associated with standing still.

Darkness Before the Dawn - "From Loss To Life" Blog Post

Posted Wed, 10/14/2009 - 00:28 by Cheryl Darnell

When people visit this website, we want them to immediately sense peace... hope... healing. This “hope” that we speak of is not empty platitudes or “feel good” philosophy. Itʼs truth from the Word of God. But itʼs not like one day our son died, and the next day, week, or even month we were hopeful, happy, and healed. We ourselves have doubted and wrestled with the truth that speaks of hope and healing.

We understand that your life, heart, and dreams have been shattered. Because ours were, too. We know youʼre struggling just to survive another day. Weʼve been there. We are very much acquainted with feelings of grief, anger, despair, and depression.

Godʼs peace was with us even as we held Billy in the hospital, lifeless and cold in our arms. Godʼs healing began in those first few hours after our tragedy.