Hug your kids!

This is a difficult post to write. Our 16 year-old daughter's very best friend took her own life recently. She was a beautiful young girl, inside and out. We just keep asking ourselves what was so bad in her life that she felt that giving up was the only option? And why didn't she let us know so we could try to help her deal with it? As a parent, the pain is two-fold. You have to watch your child deal with a grief you cannot take away. Anytime a child dies, there is the reminder that as hard as we try, there are things we still cannot protect our children from. As a parent, I try not to dwell on the things beyond my control and do my best to make safe the things I can. The rest I leave up to God and I try to make sure my kids know how very much they are loved. But I am sure Chelsea's friend's parent thought the same. There are just no guarantees. I do not believe God causes bad things, but I do believe that even the most tragic events can be used by Him for His glory. My prayer and comfort these past two weeks has been just that, for some friend or family member to be touched in such a way or the opportunity for a spiritual discussion to take place that otherwise would not have happened. I am so proud of how Chelsea has handled this, a terrible pain that no young person should have to endure; but she has been a true example of Christian love, reaching out to her other friends and Shelbie's family who are hurting. Scrapping has been a form of therapy for me and so it was with this page. I needed to honor this sweet girl that did not realize how very much she was loved. This is for Shelbie:

The visible journaling is from the Michael W. Smith song, "Friends" and reads, "Friends are friends forever If the Lord’s the Lord of them And a friend will not say never ’cause the welcome will not end. Though its hard to let you go In the Father’s hands we know That a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends."

There is hidden journaling behind the photo that says "You hurt because you lost your best friend. That is an indescribable pain that no young person should have to experience.
Chelsea, your dad and I mourn with you for the beautiful young life that was lost too soon. But there is an even deeper pain you will not know until you become a parent yourself. We hurt because we have to watch you suffer and we do not have the power to fix it. We are terrified because the loss of a child reminds us that it could be our own. How a parent faces that is a pain I cannot imagine. Our job as parents is to protect you, but the reality is that there are some things that we cannot protect you from and that scares us. The world will tell you lies and have you believe otherwise, but always know you are valuable, you are worthy, we are proud of you, and above all you are loved."

Please say a prayer for Shelbie's mother and father as well as her younger brother and sister. Then give your own loved ones an extra hug tonight!