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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Grieving, Groping and God

Well, in case you were wondering, we have not completely fallen off the map. There have been many nights I have wanted to post, but a pile of tasks, a daughter who is reluctant to go to sleep, or exhaustion have kept me from posting. The other part of that is that there are so many thoughts swirling around in my head, that I haven’t even known what to write. I suppose I empathize with Kelsey a bit more as she would tell me about all of the posts which were halfway written in her head (side note, she has snippets of those posts saved in her notes on her phone – I’ll have to do my best to piece some of them together someday – I am sure you are not surprised, but she has some neat thoughts written down there).

There is no denying that on July 5, our lives were unalterably changed. There is a meaningful illustration in one of the books which has been very helpful to me through this time, A Grace Disguised, by Jerry Sittser. He speaks there of the fact that when we experience loss, the future which we had imagined is suddenly, irrevocably torn away. Our future then looks dark. Of course, we never know what the future holds, but we do a great job of pretending that we do. Loss is a potent reminder of the fact that we do not know what the future holds. I am sure in coming days I will share more from this book and from other books and sermons which have provided solace – it is so encouraging to hear from people who have walked through grief. Someone who can tell you that the crazy emotions and the crazy roller coaster ride which each day brings does not mean that you are losing your mind. Someone who can tell you that the grief never goes away, but if you are able to face it with God’s help, it becomes a part of your soul, not defining you, but becoming a part of who you are. Yet, while the grief never goes away, God can allow you to have wonderful moments of happiness and joy.

There have been a lot of firsts over the past almost two months. The first morning after Kelsey died, waking up and hoping that maybe it was all a dream. The first time coming back to our house, looking around at the touches everywhere which remind me of Kelsey (not to mention pictures of her in almost every room of the house). The first time back to work, first family trip without Kelsey, first day of Pre-K for Alexa and on and on the list goes. There are so many reminders of all of the ways that she kept everything running so smoothly around the house – from packing for Alexa when we went on our trips, to picking out cute outfits for Alexa, to fixing her hair. All of those things, when I am marginally successful at them remind me that she is not here.

And yet, in all of this, God is sovereign. None of this is outside of His plan and by His grace, we are sustained day by day. In that respect, I am no different than anyone else who may be reading these words. This is not meant to be a pity party, but more of a real reflection of some of the emotions and thoughts that run through my head on a moment by moment basis. You all have been so faithful to pray for our family and I want to provide you with some specifics as you are taking us before God’s throne, because those prayers have not and will not be wasted!

Many of you know that four weeks ago, Wednesday the 30th of July, was the day that Alexa took her last bites of solid food (in the form of two bites of a mini chocolate chip muffin). Since that day, she has not touched anything solid: her diet now consists of apple juice, apple berry juice, V8 Fusion (sneaking that vegetable juice in on her), and chocolate milk. The shenanigans we have tried to get her to eat are about endless – preparing some of her favorite foods with her, having other people try the same, offering donuts, ice cream, smoothies, trying to mix Pedialyte in with her chocolate milk, but she is resolved not to eat anything. She has had a weird off again, on again mild fever, but her throat certainly doesn’t look irritated like it did initially. She is still very concerned that if she eats something (even something soft like ice cream, pudding or applesauce) that it may still hurt. Like Kelsey, I have had to laugh at this: clearly walking through the journey of grief was not quite enough, I need a very strong-willed daughter thrown into the mix as well! We also had a fairly extended “poop-mageddon”, where Alexa decided she was on strike in that regard as well. Thankfully, we seem to be on the other side of that standoff!

She is trying to process her grief as well – I cannot even imagine what that is like for a four year-old who loved her mommy more than anyone else in this world. Seems like part of it is control, part of it is fear of pain, and who knows what else mixed in. We go to meet with a child psychologist tomorrow (I met with her today to share some of my observations) and are also hoping to be accepted into a grief support group in Oklahoma City. My prayer is that these will allow her avenues to express her grief (and even understand it) in ways that she is not able to now.
I do have a few photos to share. Alexa was not too thrilled to be going to Pre-K on Monday. I told her that she would have a great time and that I would be picking her up before she knew it. Here is one of the “first day of school” photos I took (they were all sad or grumpy):

photo 1
And then, here is once she made it to Pre-K. I dropped her off in the regular line, then told her I would come in to meet her other teachers and say goodbye. Here she is at that point in time:

photo 2
The skies were a bit brighter and she told me, “Dad, I am going to have a great time.” She did and day two (today) went even better. She was a bit hesitant as we were getting ready, but here she is on the ride to school (our dear friend Shannon Ho took her today):

IMG_7132

Alexa is totally thrilled to have a wonderful friend and playmate in her nanny, Jenny. She asked me this evening when she would get to see her again and I told her that she would be here when she got up in the morning tomorrow and she was quite excited. They have really hit it off.

So, each day brings new challenges and new glimpses of God’s mercy. At times it feels as though I will be overwhelmed by grief – I now realize heartache is not just an expression, it is a literal physical pain in your chest in the midst of moments of deep grief. At times, it feels as though I am groping in the dark, not knowing how to face the decisions which come along and missing my helpmate who was always a wonderful sounding board. But, God is faithful. He has sustained me and I trust He is not going to stop doing so.

Prayer requests:

-- My heart hurts for my sweet daughter, Alexa. How I wish I could take away the pain she is feeling and help her to process her grief. Please pray she will begin to eat soon – perhaps a combination of visiting with the child psychologist and going back to meet with her pediatrician will allow her to understand she is better and can slowly get back to eating solid foods again. Pray if there is some lingering bug of some sort that we would discover it quickly and be able to address the issue. Pray I can be a loving and supportive father to her during this time

-- Pray for time to process. Life continues, work presses, household tasks beckon, time with Alexa calls. Pray in the midst of the busyness for moments to seek to understand the depth of this loss, to understand this world is not my home and to learn to trust God more fully in these days of intense grief.

-- Pray for strength and endurance. Grief is tiring. There are so many other things going on as well. Late nights and early mornings taking care of tasks which used to be divided in two. All of the details to take care of after Kelsey’s death: insurance, finances, etc.

-- Pray for God’s glory. I don’t want to miss Him during this time and want to be used even now to encourage others and love them in their times of grief.

There is more, but I will share another time. This post has already become longer than I hoped for originally. Thank you (if you are reading this) for your strong resolve to read the whole thing!

14 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing. Precious little girl. So thankful she has such a great and faithful Father. We are praying for both of you.
    Johnny & Leda McNabb

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  2. I am praying for you especially as you try to meet the ever-present needs of your child while processing your own deep grief. God is big. He is strong. He is able. And He will do it through you.

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  3. Chris, thanks for sharing. Praying as always. Sorry I'll miss seeing you this weekend for the first football game. Hope to see you soon. Maybe the next home game?

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  4. Please keep writing and sharing with us. Thanks for allowing us to pray.

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  5. Thank you so much for sharing Chris. Thank for sharing your heart. We continue to think of you and Alexa and pray for you. Several others are praying here for you two also.

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  6. We continue to pray for you and Alexa. Thank you for the update and specific ways to pray for you!

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  7. Please keep writing. Every time I pray I pray for both of you and I always wonder how you are doing. I think of you all. You will stay in my prayers.
    Kirsten Purcell Campbell

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  8. Chris, I have been praying for you, Alexa and all who loved Kelsey, and will now pray with specific direction. As I was reading Zephaniah this morning, Chapter 3 verse 17 blessed me: "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." This verse is so personal! He is with you every step of this unexpected journey. He loves you!

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  9. Chris, we love you. Grief stinks. So glad the Lord will wipe away all of our tears one day. For now not a one is lost to him. Praying for his healing and comforting presence to minister to you day and night. Love, the Ekpenyong's

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  10. Thank you for bringing us inside the struggles of you and your daughter. So many times we are afraid to talk about grief, and death, and well, trying to live and make sense of an altered life. I am a licensed therapist, have been for more years than I care to admit. I specialize in loss, in trauma from loss and I work with children and adults. I am trained in sand tray and play therapy. If you need help in anyway please message me (IamSamIm@aol.com). And I will add my prayers.

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  11. Continue to pray for you both Chris. God continue to provide all that they need, thank you for being a faithful father. Thank you that you see everything and you Lord are in control. Pour out your lovingkindness on Chris and Alexa. Thank you for hearing and answering prayers. In Your mighty name, Jesus, Amen.

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  12. I know of a family who went through a similar indecent with their son not eating after a traumatic event. They gave him a product called Plexus Slim. It helps to regulate the blood sugar levels. This helps the body function as God intended it to function. I hope you will look into this product and I hope it helps you get back to a so called normal in your life. Prayers to you and your sweet little girl !!!! May peace find you both!!!

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  13. Chris, I was just praying for you and Alexa yesterday, praying some general things as I know you're walking through painful days…well, what a timely update with some specifics to pray for! Will amp up the prayers for that stubborn little miss in your life ;) and for you as you navigate the grief waters while life insists on moving on.

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  14. I am so tempted to get in your business and give you all sorts of unsolicited advice, but I'll spare you lol...I'm sure you are getting plenty from other well meaning folks, so instead know that we will be praying for you and the girls. Loved the progression of 1st day jitters to 2nd day smiles : )

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