Lori's Rambling

As I sit here thinking back on 2020 during the last few hours of the year, there are lots of things that come to mind.  Clearly this has been an unusual year to say the least with lots of uncertainties and huge national and world changes.  A lot of things seem to be a holding pattern pending control of COVID and a return to normalcy.  Yet when I look back I see a lot of growth and positives things coming out of this year.  Challenges have a way of forcing us to grow and change our way of thinking.   We added Piper to our family in May.  I had been telling Jaelyn for a couple of years that we weren’t getting another dog and if/when we did, I wanted one that didn’t shed as much as Trip and was a fairly quiet low-key dog.  But in the midst of quarantine and seeing the effects of this on Jaelyn and myself, those thoughts began to change.  When I saw Piper’s picture and information on a rescue site, I scrolled past and kept coming back to her picture...

8 years.  There are days that it seems like we have lived a lifetime since Scott died. . . .and there are days that it feels like just yesterday and I find myself reliving the moment I found out and reliving the phone calls to tell family and friends.  Reliving the planning of his funeral and figuring out how life was going to work without him in it.  All of it a blur and yet so crystal clear at the same time - parts I will never forget the details and other parts that I don’t remember the details but others do. Days where I remember feeling split in two over grieving the loss and trying to help Jaelyn in her grief as well.   Anniversaries take me back to those moments and raw emotions. I remember faces that stand out and words that stand out from those first days and months — a hug from someone who had walked the same path a few years before and no words were necessary, a friend simply handing me a tissue box and telling me it was okay to cry when I told her that I ...

This is the 7th annual presentation of the Scott Bradley Adventurous Life scholarship.  Normally this would be presented during our youth Sunday honoring our graduates.  As this year has been anything but normal, things have been done differently this year and the scholarship was presented at the Senior picnic on June 17th, 2020.  There were two winners this year:  Juliette Forry and Kyle Myer.  Congratulations to both of you! This is what I shared with the winners of this year's scholarship.   Normally I would have the chance to share with you and your fellow graduates face to face some of the thoughts laid on my heart by God.  But as you have already realized this year is anything but normal.  There are many memes, cartoons, and shirts floating out there declaring this class the Quarantine class.  And certainly the way this year has gone will affect the way you see and think about things for years to come.   But my hope for you ...

Anyone who knew Scott, knew that he was passionate about kayaking.  One of his favorite experiences kayaking was at the beach when he was in the ocean and had dolphins jumping around him.  Scott was most at home in his kayak and always said that he felt closest to God when he was kayaking. I have held onto Scott’s kayak since his death almost 8 years ago as it was his most treasured possession.  A few years ago I had decided to sell it, but was unable to find anyone interested and able to handle it comfortably as Scott’s kayak is a hybrid kayak not designed for a beginner.   Getting back to kayaking has been a journey for me that started a few years ago with getting Jaelyn her first adult kayak.  When we bought Jaelyn’s kayak, Scott’s kayak was moved under our back porch.  This week when we were relocating all our kayaks to hang under our porch together, Jaelyn asked if she could use her dad’s kayak so her best friend, Cheyenne, could use Jaelyn’s ...

This picture always reminds me of how much Scott loved Jaelyn and was willing to do whatever it took for her to do something she wanted to do.   See, soccer was pretty much the only sport that Scott didn’t play when he was growing up.  He began learning the rules watching our nephew and niece play before Jaelyn began playing.  When the YMCA needed a coach for Jaelyn’s team, despite not feeling capable or confident, Scott stepped up and volunteered to coach her team.  The YMCA provided a packet of the soccer rules for their age as well as suggested drills to do in practice.  I just found that packet today when I was going through and clearing out clutter.  The packet brought to mind the conversation that Jaelyn and I had last weekend.   We were talking about this season, her freshman year, and the challenges that she faced coming into the season - knee pain and not feeling 100% and feeling intimidated playing at the high school level. ...

When this scholarship was established back in 2014, it was with the purpose of recognizing an adventurous spirit who takes many steps of faith throughout their youth career, including steps of faith in living out their walk with God, steps of faith in stepping up in leadership, and steps of faith in trying new things.    This year as I thought and prayed about the presentation and what to share,  God kept bringing Molli Colver to mind. In the world’s eyes both Scott and Molli were taken way too young.  Yet the impact of both their lives will be felt for eternity because of who they lived for.  In the celebration of life service for Molli and the stories and writing prompts that were shared, it was quickly evident who Molli was, who she lived for, and how to accept the gift of salvation.   I can’t think of a better way to describe a life well-lived - one that points others to Christ.  Molli understood that as Christians we are called to ...

47.  Today you would have been 47 years old.  You left us 6 1/2 years ago without warning.  While I take comfort in the fact that there is no sadness in heaven, I am sad for the moments and memories we “lost” with you and that you “lost” with us.  There is not a soccer game or significant event or accomplishment in Jaelyn’s life that I don’t think of you with sadness that you are “missing out.”    This is a time in her life that you would would have loved — watching her play soccer, winning awards at school, and growing into a beautiful young lady inside and out.  You would be busting out with pride of who Jaelyn is and her journey to get here, especially despite the trauma of losing you.  She has not allowed your loss to define who she is.  As much as I grieve the fact that Jaelyn doesn’t have you, I grieve the fact that you aren’t here to enjoy her growing up and maturing.  I remind her often of how much you loved her, protected h...