I have thought recently of the number of folks who I simply have not properly said, “Thank You“…to (my apologies for the dangling preposition). It is my focus moving forward to send more individual thank you’s to folks but I will now (in reader friendly list form) thank you collectively in this post.
1. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit…duh.
2. Rachel – no greater partner could I have gone through this time than with Rachel. You gave me room to be me and work as one. You went far beyond and outside of your comfort zone time and again. You came out of this time far different than you went in (we both did) and that is a testimony to your faith and courage.
3. Joe and Bella – you are not really supposed to be reading this website but let’s say you do or it’s later in life and you stumble across this. YOUR courage and love for your brother was and is amazing. You did everything we asked and rolled with the punches in ways I could have never imagined. I know that you were wounded in this process and those marks last a lifetime. I thank you that you have been willing to grow, learn, love and listen to God in so many ways. You are great and amazing gifts from God.
4. My greater Mitlo family – man, each of you played so many different roles throughout this process. I could most certainly fill pages with all of the times you stepped up and loved us hard in times of need or simply just lived concurrently as we attempted to be “normal” in extremely abnormal times.
5. My peers in ministry – I struggled with this category as I wanted to include “church families” as we have been a part of several different congregations throughout our lives and they all stepped up in different ways. Yet, each of the people within those congregations fit into different “thanking” categories as well. What I was left with was this category. Once again, in varied and different ways, you blessed us as we dealt with our season in the “fire.” You lead your ministries to love and serve us even though we may not have been one of “yours.” That selflessness did not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated. On a personal level, several of you stood by my side and prayerfully and literally kept me strong through dark and trying times.
6. Those who “waived the fee.” You know who you are. We used your services, we gleaned from your expertise, we belonged to your organization, we had a place to go, etc. You said, “Nope, your money is not good here.” The money was appreciated, the thought was incredible, the love…palpable.
7. Those who helped us financially – there are those who just made it known that we could expect “x” amount to be there for us each and every month to cover gas, food, parking, whatever. Your steady commitment to us translated to a lasting blanket of love that felt very real.
8. Those who organized and helped execute fund raisers – yes, the money was needed and represented a huge HUGE amount of security in very insecure times. However, the thoughts and actions observed and realized were humbling and very appreciated and felt.
9. Huge givers – there were a few of you who were blessed to be in a position to give us services, goods, and $$ in an enormous way. “To those who are given much, much is required” is one thing. What you did was another. You know who you are. You also know that it isn’t “better” or “more” than $5 to someone who has much less. Regardless, you blew us away. A couple of you we’ve known for years. A few others we barely even met. Either way, thank you.
10. Joe, Bella, and Trey’s teachers – you as a group were/and are some of the most vital people in our children’s world. Without exception, God used you in great and mighty ways. You loved that which was and is most precious to us. You danced the same dance of treating our kids as exceptional yet normal that we needed and need to do ourselves. You opened yourself up to the risk of loss and experienced it. You learned about it in college and had it applied in the most horrific and beautiful of ways.
11. Those who prayed – You’ve heard me say, “The one thing I’ve learned throughout this process is that I have no idea how prayer works…but it is essential.” From all across the globe (I mean this quite literally) prayers bombarded heaven and in the hearts of those here on earth (through His Holy Spirit) to protect, empower, sustain, and enable us to persevere.
12. To all of the folks at Children’s Hospital – you are…not were, are our family. From our mom’s (the nurses), grandparents (the folks at check in who wouldn’t tell you they were having a bad day if they had a sword sticking out of their back), fathers and big brothers (the doctors who had to wear the big boy pants and tell us hard things and take our abuse, yes, many of them were women…roll with it), siblings (actually the snack shop employees who would tell it like it is even if they were supposed to be more like the check in folks), the aunts and uncles (the x ray/scan/specialty type folks who were either cool, weird, or just thorough…you just didn’t see them ALL the time), stupid cousins (the resident doctors who would barge into the room after 1 knock at 6am acting like they were even allowed to make a decision), our siblings (other parents who we really didn’t bond with but kept us very grounded), to the ancestors (those we never saw but did all of the behind the scenes type stuff that enable all of the others to do their jobs)…you made it our begrudging home away from home and made it feel like…home.
13. Those who blessed us in the days after Trey’s death – from the funeral home, to the cemetery, Faith Community and Hebron churches and more. You put your faith into love and love into action and made it richly palpable.
14. Rachel and my dearest/tightest/and closest friends – ish got real…real fast and you were there. Many of you traveled to be here and your presence was thunderous. I remember looking around the room just before the funeral and feeling like a warrior going to battle, a fighter about to engage. My corner was covered, you were there. Strong women, strong men, silently standing ever so loudly behind me…us. Never doubt your commitment. Never doubt your faith. God made you special and He (to whatever degree you even believe or know Him) showed ever so brightly through each and every one of you.
15. Penn Hills – I bleed red…yes, and gold. From the signs in the community, the articles in papers, the show of support from the schools, the head nods from those who just know, you are good people. We love you all.
16. Our “Pray (and more) for Trey” and cyber family/community – you too are from all across the globe. What a glorious day it will be when we worship together in heaven. You were able to bless us from wherever you are and you did, countless times. The right post, the right comment, even a simple “like” click that would send a picture over 400 “likes”, you kept us from ever feeling alone.
17. Trey – you were so amazing. You were a lot…a lot to handle, in so many ways. Yet, you were more than worth every ounce of energy I ever exercised. You were courageous. You were so unbelievably hilarious. You were so grounded and normal. You were so eccentric and special (yes I am aware that I just contradicted myself and yet you completely agree). You worked so hard and blessed us all in ways beyond what you could have ever imagined or anyone could expect. You gave us memories for a lifetime. You impacted thousands. You exited graciously and quickly. You were so loud and yet you feathered in some of the most beautiful silent moments. You were so tough and yet so open and vulnerable in a given moment. You knew how to make any one person feel like they were the only one that mattered. Your eyes opened up a realm to which normal people never see. I look forward to sitting on a ferris wheel with you in heaven someday and finding out how much you really knew.
Thank you all for being there for/with us. I do mourn for those who don’t have the support system that we have. I suppose that through these next months/years/lifetime God will be using what we have ALL done here to further his ministry of love and comfort in many more ways. You do know that all of you are near and dear to us and are family. We are committed to loving and serving you in whatever you may ever need. For now, simply accept my simple and heartfelt expression of thanks.