The Greatest Loss

I don't even know what to say. And thinking about it just makes the pain sting even more, but I must share with you what I've witnessed this past week. On Wednesday my precious 2 year old niece, Audrey, was killed in a tragic accident involving a vehicle. I won't go into details as to how it happened because it makes me sick and it's unnecessary; just suffice to say that Wednesday was the longest, most terrible day I've yet experienced.

However, I have seen quite a beautiful thing throughout all this tragedy. The body of Christ has truly been at work, and I have witnessed His infinite love and compassion that surpasses all our understanding in the actions and words of His body of believers. I can't even describe to you the scene at Bryan & Sarah's house over the course of the week. People were flooding in and out, bringing armfuls of food, gifts for the girls, flowers & notes, and praying over Bryan & Sarah. It was incredible. And ALL the family on ALL sides gathered together. I've been so proud of both Bryan & Sarah and how they have handled their current circumstance with such grace. The Lord has truly been lifting them up and using them as a powerful witness of His glory. If I may share:

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn." Psalm 18:30-36

There's a site you can go to to see pictures of Audrey and her family and to sign a guest book and leave comments if you desire. http://www.mem.com/Story.aspx?ID=2142434

Audrey brightened our world. We always joked that she was going to be the clown of the family because she just smiled and laughed all the time and made everyone around her laugh. She always said the funniest things. And so loving. Sarah & I exercise out at the Quarries together and would put Matt & Audrey in childcare together; whenever I'd get done and come down to pick up Matt, Audrey would come running over to me and give me a huge hug and kiss even though I was a sweaty mess. She'd say, "Look Matthew! Tricia's here! I help you find your shoes, okay?" She and Matthew were very close, and Matt talked about her all the time. For the longest time he would call all three of the girls Audrey. Being the youngest of 3, Audrey was told what to do quite frequently by her sisters. But, Audrey was able to employ her mothering skills on Matt. She even attempted to pick him up one time that resulted in a big goose egg on Matt's noggin. That girl was a climber, too. I remember watching her in the church nursery and she scaled the changing table in seconds flat; I don't know if she was even 18 mos. then. Watching her sing and dance was a hoot, too. What a ham she was. We put her to bed one night at our house while Bryan & Sarah went out, and I laid beside her in bed until she fell asleep. She scooted over and snuggled up close to me clutching her little blanket and sucking her thumb. It was so sweet to listen as her body relaxed and she finally surrendered to slumber. As the Moran family was leaving Matt's birthday party last Saturday Audrey went around to everyone and gave us all hugs and kisses. She shouted, "good-bye everybody!!!" while waving frantically and being ushered out the door by her parents. That was our last image of her. Audrey Kate was a blessing to us and we'll miss her everyday.

I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers for Bryan & Sarah and our family. Thank you for your notes and cards, and thanks to those who travelled to Austin for the memorial service. It really means so much. Our family has been through so much, and the coming weeks and months are going to prove to be difficult so we covet your continued prayers.

So what has Matthew been up to? Well, he caught a nasty stomach bug that's been floating around. With classic timing, the vomiting began in the car of course. And it only continued. Steven detailed the car seat while I dodged more vomit and cleaned up my sobbing baby boy. He kept saying, "all done, all done! Yucky!" You could tell he was trying his hardest not to puke because he didn't like it. While still strapped in the car just after the expulsion he was saying, "wash hands, wash feet!" And we couldn't help but laugh. Steven is back at work today and I am still cleaning up messes. Hopefully Matt can make it through this nap without losing his lunch. Ugh. Here's Matt with his pedialyte popsicle.