He Died in a Skydiving Accident
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We all experience events that impact our lives in a significant way either positive or negative. I sometimes remember things on the anniversary of when the event happened.
I always remember the month/year my children were born, when I joined the Air Force, when I retired, when I achieved the Accredited Speaker designation in Toastmasters, when I rode a motorcycle for the first time, when I first became a published author and many other positive memories.
I also remember when my mother and father died, when I had a miscarriage and where I was on 9/11. I remember when I had hit my rock bottom dealing with trauma from my childhood and other traumas which caused me to do the necessary work to pull myself out of deep despair or die. I'm grateful for that work and that I didn't give up on myself and worked through the pain. Sometimes things happen to trigger a response from past pain like last week when I had some things cause me anxiety that required me to work through it to release it. Thankfully I can process those responses and they don't keep me down. I always learn something new about myself from those experiences. I hope you do too.
HE DIED IN A SKYDIVING ACCIDENT
It was September 2013 and I had been dating someone for a few months. He and I had a lot in common and I thought there were great possibilities. We enjoyed each other's company and many of the same things.. He shared my faith in God which is most important to me. A memory popped up which reminded me of him. On September 23, 2013 he died in a tragic skydiving accident. 2 weeks before that our family dog Saviah died at almost 14.
He and I hadn't known each other long enough for anyone to have my contact information to let me know he had died. So how did I find out? I felt it in my spirit right about the time it happened. He was in Tennessee doing a HALO jump and had texted me right before he went up. A little while later I felt very uneasy like something was wrong. It was a heaviness and bad feeling. I knew something had happened and I thought maybe he had gotten injured but I think deep down I knew it was worse than that. I remember thinking I wasn't going to process that feeling until later. I focused on work and texted him before the drive home.
I got home from work and hadn't heard anything from him since that morning. I was alone and didn't know who to call or what to do so I googled his name and there were a couple news posts that came up indicating he had died in a skydiving accident. I immediately called my friend Nancy. She made some calls and confirmed it to be true. I was devastated. My family and friends supported me during that time.
That changed the trajectory of where I thought my life would go. I attended his memorial and people came up to me and told me they knew about me and that I had made a difference in his life. His co workers told me he had been depressed because of things he was going through which I learned about after he passed. They told me that when he met me it seemed like he came back to life. His family knew of me and said he spoke fondly of me and they knew he was happy to have met me and spend time with me. That was probably the thing that helped me the most to recover from his death, to know I had made a positive difference in his life, that he died doing what he loved and that he was happy inside partially because of me.
Thinking about that time reminds me that I have the capacity to love and be loved by a man. I have been alone for many years and often forget that. It's a nice reminder that it is possible.
There was another moment in time that changed the entire trajectory of my life. It was in February 2018 when I went to Kenya the very first time and felt God's calling for me to work with the ladies in Kenya. I backed off of my focus on speaking and started focusing on the ladies in Kenya. After that initial partial suitcase of beads I brought back to sell when I was speaking, the path of my life changed to something I never imagined possible. Now there are more women we are working with not only for the beads and other products but also for farming. We are also making a difference in the lives of 6 high school age kids by supporting their school fees from donations we receive.
I don't know where this path will lead next and I'm open to see what's in store for us. I'm grateful that you are here to share it with me and for your support. I would ask that you share this mission with your family and friends. If you are local, find us at the upcoming pop ups listed below or sign up for the paint and sip class on Oct 21st or schedule a trunk show either in your home or at our showroom. If you are not local, you can do a virtual trunk show. See details below.
The holiday's are right around the corner. Let us help you chose some special gifts from our ladies that will have meaning and be a unique gift for those you love.
THE DASH
Death is an inevitable part of life. We must all die someday. When someone leaves sooner than expected whether it's a child, young person or someone else, it affects us especially if we were close to them.
What are you doing to fill in the dash? That space between the day you are born and now, until you are no more. As my good friend Larry Broughton said on last weeks BnB Live Episode - "Go do something significant." You can view the entire episode here.
Don't put off that thing that you are procrastinating doing. Tomorrow is never promised.