Tribute

I have tried to pay tribute to some special people in my life over the past few weeks.

• My wife when we celebrated our 25th anniversary.
• My dad when he was getting close to the end and when he passed away.
• My daughter Noel and her fiance Jimbo when they got engaged recently.
  
• My mom just yesterday morning simply because she deserves that and so much more.

I need and want to do it today for my mother-in-law Eileen Roos.


Yesterday became another tough day in our lives because my mother-in-law passed away.

It seems that we are having a lot of those tough days lately.
She had been sick on and off for a while but it was still rather fast and a shock for us. I am so thankful for the time we were able to spend with her recently but it is never enough.

My mother-in-law was an incredible woman. After all she gave me my incredible wife.
She also gave all of us a special gift and that is my sister-in-law Lisa.
She loved her kids and those around her.
She always had her opinion on things but would always gracefully bow to those who had different thoughts and ideas.
She accepted and loved me as her son-in-law and that was something I never worried about or doubted. I will never forget the last words she said to me yesterday when she said, "I love you".

She gave my wife and I our first TV after we were married. She gave us furniture and whatever else she could do to help us out.
She loved her grandchildren and would always make sure that each of them had a gift on special occasions. Even when it wasn't their birthday they would still get a gift so they wouldn't feel left out.
The times that I saw her get worked up was when she thought one of the kids was getting picked on too much.
There are so many more things I could say about her but the biggest thing right now is that she will be missed!!!!!

We love you Mom!!

Eileen Gates Roos
February 26th, 1927 - April 28th, 2008

Another Hero

I just spent the last few days with My mom.


My father past away a month ago yesterday and I have said a lot about him over the past few weeks but not a lot about my mom. I think that even describes my mom a little. She has always been that quiet strength for our family. She stayed by my dad's side the entire time he went through his cancer. In the last few days she would lay on the floor or couch next to him listening for any small sound of need.
I went up to spend a few days with her this past week to help her plan for the future. We worked through all kinds of paper work, budgets, finances, bills, and a bunch of other things. I think we got a handle on most things.
We had a great time together. There were times where we laughed and other times where we cried a bit too.
We went to lunch one day and she looked at me and said, "we need to bring daddy here he would like this" and then we realized once again that he is gone. It is funny how we have those moments every once in a while.
One of the things that became obvious to me once again is how strong my mom is. She has her moments but she has such a positive outlook on things. I called her tonight to check on her and she told me that she spent the afternoon cooking a meal and a strawberry cake (her strawberry cake is unbelievable!!!) for a friend of ours that had a death in their family. She has such a deep desire to help others. We talked about some of the ways that she wants to be a help to single moms and other who are hurting.
I realize that I am blessed to have my mom in my life. She continues to be a Godly example to so many.
I am also aware of the fact that for the first time in over 54 years my mom is without my dad.


This past week my goal was to take some of her pain away and just be an encouragement to her.
I hope and think I was able to do that but as I look back that is something that she did for me. This among so many other reason is why she is another hero in my life.
I love you mom???

Proud Parents

I just want you to know that I am not the only one that brags on their kids.
There is a couple at our Sawgrass campus that do just that. I know there always needs to be a balance in how we brag on our kids. Some people do it so much that they don't realize that their kids are normal and make mistakes. They are kids after all and are probably a lot like their parents were.

Back to my friends Tom and Beth. These people don't just go to Sawgrass they are involved in making it work. they help with setup, tear down, small groups, and have been faithful to making it a success since we started it.

If you are around them for very long you will know that they love their kids. They love them, support them, are proud of them, and they share this with others.

Their two sons are both athletes.
Josh had a great football career in high school and got a scholarship to Missouri Valley College.
Their other son Kyle plays baseball and he got a scholarship to "The U".
There is a great article about him today in the Sun Sentinel.


Kyle had a great game last night as No.1 Miami(32-3, 16-1 ACC) beat No. 2 FSU, 11-4.
It is awesome to see parents who are proud of their kids.
Tom and Beth thanks for sharing this value with all of us.

Go Canes!!!

Noel

Last week I shared about my daughter Noel getting engaged. I also talked about her man Jimbo. I still feel the same this week.
I wanted to say a word about Noel.


She is such a good kid. I know she is 23 but she is my kid. She will graduate in the fall with a degree in radiology. Hopefully she will quickly land a job and save up some money for the future.

I am her dad and most would say I think she is perfect. No, I wouldn't say that. She is not perfect but she is a good kid. She has never given my wife and I any problems.
She loves God. She loves us. She loves her sister. She loves the rest of our family as well. Another important thing that she loves is UM. She really loves her horse Dakota.


I really enjoy being around her. We have a lot of fun together.
I want to say something that Is very important.
I AM PROUD OF HER!
Those are powerful words. I will blog about them next time.

I am proud of Noel for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is because of how she loves and cares for others.
She is spending her spring break week with my mom.

My dad passed away on March, 26th and my mom lives alone now. It is a hard transition for her. They were married for over 54 years.
I think it is pretty cool that my daughter wants to invest in her grandmothers life.
Kelli and I are so blessed to have such a great daughter.

Father, thanks for giving us such a great gift in Noel!

I am proud of my other daughter Danielle too. I will write about her in the future.

Wow!!!

We had a big event take place in our lives this past Saturday night.
My oldest daughter Noel got engaged.


She was very excited when she came home!


So many people have asked me how I feel about this.
I have to admit I am a little nervous about what it is going to cost.

The other question is how I feel about her fiance Jimbo.

Here are some things I really like about Jimbo...

• He loves God

This thrills me. This is something Kelli and I prayed for before Noel was born. He promised Kelli and I that they would raise our grandchildren in a Godly home.

• He respects and loves my daughter

He better! It is obvious by the way he treats her. He made their engagement a very special event with fireworks and a lot more. He didn't skimp on the ring either.

• He asked me first

This was a big deal for me. Jimbo came to my wife and I a month ago and asked our permission. He also had me ask my dad for his permission before he passed away. Smart boy!

• He has become a part of our family

We love having him around. He gets involved in what we do and enjoy. It is nice to have another male in the house.

• He is involved in ministry

Jimbo helps with our student ministry at the Sawgrass Campus.

• He loves "The U"

He is one of the few people that may love the University of Miami more than me.
Yes, we have season tickets together.


We are excited for Noel and Jimbo. We are praying for them and would ask you to do the same.

Lesson Learned

In anything we do or encounter in life there are are lessons to be learned.
Here are some lessons learned through the past couple of weeks for me.

• God is faithful

I honestly don't know how people go through a major loss in their life without God. He truly does give grace and strength at these times in our lives to allow us to go forward. My family and I experienced this over and over during the last couple of weeks and are grateful.
Thank you Father!

• I am not a good crier

Crying is not easy for me. To be honest, it hurts. When I let go and cry it is like having the "dry heaves". It's not fun and I don't like it. It makes me feel weak and vulnerable. It's ugly too. This is one of those things that I have to do alone.

• Good memories will sustain you and bring healing

Good memories are a gift from God. These memories allow you to have conversations that make you smile and laugh. Many of those that came to the viewing and service for my father shared their memories with us and it was such an encouragement and help.
I have so many good memories of my dad. Even the last few days up until his last breath are memories that I will cherish.
I value making memories now more than ever!

• Good friends are priceless

I can't begin to tell you how blessed my family and I are to have good friends. Our family had so many friends from over the years bless us with cards, e-mails, phone calls, visits, flowers, meals and gifts. We can't even begin to say thanks for all that was done for us.
For me personally, when you are 12 hours away from home and you see your friends come walking in when you are hurting, you know you are blessed! These are the friends I enjoy doing life with. I would take a bullet for any of them. I love you guys!

• You can learn how to live well and you can learn how to die well

I kept hearing this from those that were close to my dad at the end. Even when he could barely talk he would still say "Thank you" and "I love you" with a smile. He never complained about anything. He was kind and grateful at the end of his life.
I believe this is all about right relationships. A right relationship with God and others will keep you from being grumpy and mean at the end. I really want to live this out in my life.

I know there are many more lessons that I learned and will learn. These are the ones on my heart. I hope they will be a help to you when you have to face a loss.

One lesson I continue to learn is to be open and vulnerable with things in my life. It is not easy but even writing this today is a part of that process.