All Prayer Becomes Praise

Happy 2024!

I hope you have each had a wonderful celebration of Jesus' birth and will go with God throughout this new year and be blessed. My youngest son, Keegan, and his family and I enjoyed time in Ohio with most of the Rice side of the family, but we greatly missed my oldest son, Caleb and his family. We look forward to seeing them in March in Arizona! It was also very strange to not go to the farm at all. As most of you know, my Mom passed into the arms of Jesus in April (on Good Friday) after suffering a stroke. We miss her greatly, yet know she is rejoicing in the presence of her Savior and with Daddy once again. I do look forward to getting with my siblings and their spouses later this month. 

God woke me up early this morning on the 3rd anniversary of Mike going to be with Jesus. Three years. It hardly seems possible, but there it is.  Since I couldn't get back to sleep, I went on and got up, had my usual Bible reading time and then started reading the last lesson on prayer that Taylor, one of our church's pastors wrote. This was a study done in the Fall and I missed the last lesson, then another woman from church and I decided we wanted to go back through the entire study together. She and I are meeting tomorrow for this last lesson. I had not even looked at it until this morning and it really fit the day. The final lesson was mainly about "Unanswered Prayer". I love how our heavenly Father orchestrates things to perfection. 

In his notes, Taylor states "I believe there are three preliminary things to consider when it comes to unanswered prayer: 1. Prayer is a request, not a demand. It is not advice offered to God. It's His prerogative to act or not. 2. We hold fast to God's goodness. One of our temptations is to doubt God's goodness. We need to trust that God loves us even in silence. 3. We hold fast to God's power. We might tend to doubt that God is all-powerful - that all things really are possible for Him. Then Taylor goes into some of the reasons why our prayers may not be answered the way we want." (Prayer Session 7 by Taylor Terzek at Lake Norman Baptist Church)

As I read the list, the main one that stood out to me as to a possible "why" God did not heal and restore Mike on this earth was: "Relationship. Some prayers aren't answered because God Himself is a greater answer than the thing we are asking for, and He wants to use our sense of need to draw us into a deeper relationship with Him." (Taken from God on Mute by Greig also in Taylor's notes) One thing I can say for certain is that God drew me into a much deeper relationship with Him and more understanding of His character throughout all those years after Mike's accident in April of 2012. In the early years, I was desperate for Him, desperate for answers, desperate for comfort and as I dove into His word, He met me there and revealed Himself to me little by little as I could only absorb so much at a time. He is a gentle and loving Father and knows better than I ever can what is best. Although He allowed pain, stress, sorrow, anxiety, trials, etc. He never once left me alone and still doesn't as evidenced by the timing of this reading. 

As I kept reading, I loved how Taylor ended the study. He went to the book of Revelation and how in the end all prayers will be answered and turned into songs of praise. See Revelation 19:1-3, 6-8. Then he shares a quote from Calling on the Name of the Lord by Millar: "As John's vision, the book of Revelation, and indeed the entire canon of Scripture, draws to a close, it seems that prayer is replaced by singing. The prayers of the saints are answered, and there is nothing left to ask for. All that remains is celebration....and endless delight, worship and surprise at the endless magnificence of the glory of God."

Taylor goes on to say "Cries of petition have turned into songs of praise. This is the end of prayer: joyful praise. Yes, prayer is the mechanism of hope, where we call upon God to act in the gap between His promises and our reality. In this sense, it is a key practice of suffering. But prayer is also a vehicle to inevitable joy and praise." 

I love that! As I read all of this in the early morning hours, tears of thankfulness, sorrow, joy, love, amazement all intermingled in a beautiful flow as I was overwhelmed by the pure awesomeness of our great God!  Memories flooded my mind as I thought back over the past 12 years and once again I was blown away by how God provided and carried me through the struggle and loss and how He truly does turn all prayer, answered and unanswered, into songs of praise.  Often it doesn't happen right away, but as we trust Him and believe in His goodness and power, persevering by faith, the praise comes. 

We may never truly know why some prayers are not answered, yet we can trust God who does know.  We never "get over" loss. It becomes a thread in the fabric of who we are - loss interwoven with love, memories, sorrow, joy, pain, praise and all the experiences of our lives. God doesn't throw out the broken, the loss, He makes it into something beautiful. Even when He seems silent, He is at work. 

What a precious gift He gave me today.

Revelation 19:6-7a

 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, 

like the roar of many waters and 

like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

    the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult

    and give him the glory

Beyond Blessed - A New Start

Hebrews 11:13-16

"All these people were still living by faith when they died.
They did not receive the things promised; 

they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.

And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 
People who say such things show that they are looking for a country
of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left,
they would have had the opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing
for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

In the margin of my old beloved NIV Bible right next to the above highlighted passage, this is written in my own handwriting: "7/19/2020 things may never be different than they are right now for me, but through faith given to me by God, I can live one day/one moment at a time." Little did I know at that time that in less than 6 months, Mike would be gone, and in 2 years time God would blow me away with blessing upon blessing in a new start. Yes, we still look forward and long for our promised heavenly home, but by faith and God's provision, things are VERY different for me than they were on the day I penned those words and I am filled with gratefulness and joy!

Psalm 68:5-6a

"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

God settles the solitary in a home...

A Home! 

- For those not on FaceBook, God blessed me above and beyond what I could have asked or imagined in finding a small townhome on a quaint, tree-lined street with green space in front and behind. I closed on the house on June 30th. I cleaned my townhome from top to bottom, replaced toilet seats and bowl to tank bolts, and installed towel racks - myself! I'm so thankful for YouTube instructional videos and feel quite accomplished! I had the entire place painted and some of the flooring replaced and moved in on July 30th. It is a lovely, quiet, friendly neighborhood and best of all I feel quite safe. I know my immediate neighbors already and when my grands come, there is a playground right across the street where we can play. The previous owner had beautifully landscaped the backyard, so all I have done is add my favorite flowers which I brought from the farm and maintain the rest of the beds and the grass. One reason I could afford this home was because the HOA fees are extremely low since they only maintain the public areas. It takes me all of 15 minutes to cut the grass, longer to trim because I'm not very good with the weed-eater, but since I enjoy working outside, I'm glad I have a little bit to take care of. A very little bit!

A church! - After visiting 4 or 5 churches, I have gratefully landed at Lake Norman Baptist Church. They have a new pastor who started in July and it seems they are off to a fresh start also. On my very first Sunday there a couple invited me to the Legacy class after church and I decided to try it out. I am still there and enjoying the people and the Bible study immensely. Last Sunday I went out to eat with 9 others from the class. It's fun to start getting to know people a bit better. God's word is proclaimed from the pulpit and the class with a genuine love for Him and others. 

God has also brought me alongside a woman who abruptly became a widow in July. She asked me to sit beside her in class after just meeting me and then when I shared about God's blessing me after 10 years of TBI and the loss of my husband, she said it was just what she needed to hear. (Neither of us knew the other was a widow until that moment.) Since then we have talked and text with each other and plan to get together this week. My desire is to be used of God in encouraging and coming alongside other widows, caregivers, shut-ins and He's already begun to orchestrate that. 

Tonight I joined a ladies Bible Study. We are studying the last half of Exodus through a Jen Wilkin video series. She is a wonderful teacher and I'm very excited about this study, plus the opportunity to meet more women. This church has 2 services so there are lots of people I would not meet otherwise. 

A job! - Have I told you that God has blown me away with blessings upon blessings above and beyond what I could have asked or imagined?!! HE truly has! I started looking for a job online and applied to 3 or 4 on a Friday, August 12, I think it was. The following Monday or Tuesday, I received a call from Lanart International - Quality Alpaca Products. I had a great conversation with the daughter of the owner and we set up an interview for the next day. The family-run business is less than 2 miles from my house. I drove the 4 minute drive, with NO traffic because it's like country/residential roads and had another great conversation with the owner, Angelo, plus met David, Angelo's cousin who handles all the orders, shipping and shows. They felt my background and experience was a perfect fit for them and I felt they were perfect for me. Definitely God-led opportunity!! I started working with Lanart on August 23rd and the job could not be more perfect for me! David has been an excellent trainer and easy to work with. His wife, Maria, comes in to help some days and although she doesn't speak a lot of English (they are from Ecuador), we manage to communicate and she is very sweet. Ursula, who called me initially, also works with the business, but she lives in California. We talk often over the phone or via Zoom.

All of the handmade alpaca fiber products are made in Peru (fair trade). Angelo handles that side of the business. The products are all beautiful and so soft. I had never heard of needle-felting, but we sell lots of needle-felted sculptures (toys) and have over 300 items from alpacas of various colors to wild animals, sea life, winged, farm and pets, plus we have plush items. We also have hats, gloves, scarves, throws, headbands, skeins of alpaca fiber, etc. The only thing that is not hand-made are the socks which are 80% alpaca. The alpaca fiber comes from Peru and the socks are manufactured in Hickory, NC.

I absolutely love my job and the people! I love the variety, being able to move around which is so much better for my back, and the products are light and pleasant to handle. Imagine picking and bagging super soft teddy bears and cozy socks all day. That's my job! I work with David printing the online orders, picking and boxing the product, getting it shipped out, and making sure I've done all the invoicing and shipping steps on the computer. The only time I sit down is if I stop to eat something. David rarely stops!

Debbie, who has worked with them for about 9-10 years was out for knee replacement surgery when I started, but she started coming back a few hours this past week. I appreciated that as David and Maria were in Wisconsin at a show from Wed - Saturday. We do not have a retail shop, but David and Maria set up at the farmer's market in Huntersville on most Saturdays and they travel to other states for shows, as well. It was my 3rd week there and I was on my own for the most part. David has so much confidence in me that it encouraged me that I could do it and I think I did alright. I was glad that Debbie came in a few hours tho, plus I could call any of them, if I ran into a snag and Angelo was there. 

Check out their website at https://lanartalpaca.com/ you may want to purchase some Christmas gifts or pick up something cozy and warm for yourself. I learned that alpaca fiber is hollow so it traps and holds heat. On September 24 we will have an Alpaca Fiesta at our location with other vendors, food trucks, music, crafts, etc. Come join us; it will be fun!

As you can see, I am abundantly blessed and it seems that it happened so quickly once I came to NC. God has settled me in a new place, new home, new church, new job, new start, new life after a long and often difficult journey. Yet, He is the One who brought me through all of that and gave me joy along the way even in the hard also. He is ALWAYS to be praised and glorified. My cup runneth over indeed and I am so thankful for His goodness to me. 

It's getting late and I need to get some sleep. I get to go to work tomorrow! 😊

Light

Today marks the one year anniversary of Mike's heavenly home going. It's interesting how time can seem to pass so swiftly in hindsight, yet some moments during the past year crawled by at a snail's pace. I've gone through all the "firsts" without him: first anniversary, first birthdays (mine & his), first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first New Year's. However, unlike many who lost a loved one in the past year, they really weren't my firsts. Rather than being depressing or sad occasions this past year, there was a lightness that hasn't been there for almost 9 years. There was no guilt that I couldn't be with him or he with me/us, no depression that he was locked away in a facility unable to be outside or with all of his family, no thoughts that he couldn't talk with me or enjoy his children and grandchildren, no hoping for a miracle to see the vibrant man he once was - walking, running, laughing, talking. For me it was firsts of peace and lightness, rejoicing in the knowledge that he is whole once again, that his race was run, his journey completed. 

I'm not saying that I don't miss him, I do. There are moments of longing, but not for the TBI Mike, but the pre-TBI, very vibrant and energetic, Mike - his companionship, physical nearness and touch, our lively conversations, spontaneous adventures, being amazed at the amount of information he could retain, playing board and card games with the family, watching OSU football, his loud voice, his crazy laugh... Yet, we were able to remember Mike in many beautiful ways throughout the past year. Each one a blessing that brought an element of remembrance, healing, closure, and peace. The Pandemic made us think outside of the norm which, for us, was a blessing in disguise. The rainbows after the storms. God's goodness and favor to us after almost 9 years of difficulty.

The past few months have been a true blessing to me personally. For the first time in all these years, when my sisters were taking care of Mom, I did not have paperwork or things to do for Mike, and since I no longer work for the Creamery I didn't have that work either. So, with the extra time, I finally went through boxes that have been packed since we sold our house in Raeford, NC 10 years ago. I took trips down memory lane all the way from my high school yearbooks, to journals from my Palau days, to the boy's high school days. I rediscovered items I had forgotten all about - my wooden Thai elephants, Palauan coconut grater, my high school artwork, my grandmother Jones' crewel embroidery and cross stitch, and LOTS of family photos. I also purged some files and tax papers. I'm feeling more organized and lighter with each thing I cross off of my mental to-do list. I'm also trying to discover who I am when I'm not caregiving for someone. I still care for and mainly live with my Mom, but as she is slowly becoming more and more dependent, my sisters are coming more often and we are sharing the caregiving. I am so blessed to have 3 sisters and a brother! My brother and his wife help too when they are able, but the farm and creamery keep them very busy.

My sister, Vivian, and her husband, Mike, spent Christmas with Mom this year, so that I could be with my NC kids and grands. It has been a joyous Christmas. There was no uneasy feeling that I was here having a great time and Mike was stuck in a facility. Yes, I thought about him and how he would have loved to hear Keegan reading the passage from Luke 2 as the girls acted out the story with the nativity figurines and he would have enjoyed being part of the loud gatherings around delicious food, but it was with a distinct feeling of gratitude, peace, and lightness that Mike is free from his earthly bonds. 

Light - I've said this in differing ways in the above paragraphs. I love light. Like a fly trapped in a room, I am drawn to light. Light as in brightness and light as the opposite of heaviness. One of my favorite Christmas decorations is lights. Lights on the tree, lights in the window, lights on houses, on mantles, stair railings, etc. Those lights chase away the darkness and are a symbol of Jesus, The Light of the world. Even if you are very familiar with the below verses, please take the time to slowly read and absorb what is said.

John 3:16-21

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John 8:12

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. 

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 12:45-46

And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, 

so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

As you can see from the above verses, we have a choice to choose light or choose darkness. Choose Jesus or choose our own way which is choosing the darkness or, in other words, going against God. We are either for Him or against Him. There is light and there is darkness. I have chosen Jesus, the Light. What about you? 

We continue to study the book of Revelation on Sunday mornings. What an amazing book! Over and over again God gives second chances to the nations to come to know Him, and over and over again they reject Him and curse Him choosing the darkness rather than the light. Don't be like that! Charles Spurgeon said: "Jesus uses our trials to wean us from earth and woo us to heaven." This life can be hard, I know. It shows how little control we have in this fallen world. My prayer is that each of you will be counted among those who stand firm for Jesus, because also over and over again in Revelation it assures those who believe Jesus is God's son and stay strong will be victorious. No matter what we may have to endure here on this earth, even if we are martyred for His name, ultimately, we will be with Jesus who is already the victor having conquered death and the grave through His crucifixion and resurrection.  

Revelation is so encouraging to the Christian, but gives many warnings to those who continue to reject God's Son. This life is temporary, the life after death is forever and will be spent either with God who loves us and wants to give us joy forever or with Satan who only desires to torment forever. Please don't ignore or delay. None of us knows when our days here will be cut short. What we are sure of is that we will all die a physical death. My prayer is that you die believing in Jesus.

This may seem like a heavy message to you, and it is if you don't know Christ Jesus. My heart is heavy for those I know and love who continue to go their own way and reject Him. I pray that you will yield to the still small voice of His Holy Spirit wooing you. The promises of God are the reason I can have such peace knowing that Mike is no longer suffering, but rejoicing because He is whole and with his Savior, Jesus Christ, The Light of the World, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Revelation 21:23

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, 

for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

The Stone & The Little Box

                                                     

Back before we released Mike's ashes in the ocean and after I had ordered his gravestone, I was lying in bed one night unable to sleep. As my body tried to relax, my mind revved up. Plans for the ocean memorial, Mom's care, and who knows what else that decides bedtime is the time to consider these things and keep me wide awake. As I tossed and turned, I started thinking that I would like to have something to bury at the cemetery, but what? I didn't like the idea of splitting up the ashes, so not that. I had the little silver medical identification disk and didn't know what to do with it, so that would be one thing. Then my thoughts turned to what I would put that in and what else would go with it. 

The Lord brought to mind a small wooden box that I had carved a design into in art class when I was in middle or high school. It was sitting on my dresser and I decided I'd see what was in it in the morning and drifted off to sleep. The next morning, it was a pleasant surprise to open it and discover small shells that I had collected from our beach trips over the years. I had thought I would make a necklace or earrings some day, but that never happened. Perfect. Those shells symbolized Mike's favorite place to go and our many trips to the ocean together. I collected the ID marker and wrote Mike's name on it. Then I decided I would ask my grandchildren to each add a shell while we were at the beach. I tucked a copy of his obituary inside also.

At the ocean, I took a petal from each of the flowers that we tossed into the water and some from the beautiful arrangement I had in the beach house. Amy's grandma found a shell that looked like an angel's wing and gave that to me to add as well. After fitting the various items into the little box, I took it down to the ocean with me one morning and added a bit of sand - it was now complete. 

I ordered Mike's memorial stone the end of April, but like lots of things during this pandemic, it took longer than usual for the stone to come in from Georgia. Mid-September I received the call that it was ready. On September 21, I met Simmons Monuments at the cemetery to have it installed. I had looked at various designs to get ideas, but nothing seemed right. I drew a few rough possibilities of what I wanted and Simmons refined it.  

As they were installing it, Mr. Simmons said that even though he didn't know Mike, he could tell a lot by his stone. That it tells a story. I was happy to hear that since that's what I was trying to do. Simmons did a beautiful job and I am very pleased with the result. Later that day, I took my Mom to see it. Periodically, she enjoys walking around the cemetery and we hadn't done that in a while. Both sets of my grandparents, my Dad, and many other relatives are buried there. Mike's stone is beside my cousin, Leslie's.

Since Keegan's family had already planned to come the last weekend of September, the timing was perfect for them to be with me to bury the little box by the gravestone. It was a gorgeous day with a Fall-like feel in the air. The stone and the little box were the final pieces of things I had planned in memory of Mike. I had never thought much about a gravestone before, but it is oddly comforting to have something tangible in remembrance. It is a reminder of Mike's life and how with God's help we indeed were able to stay true to our vows, "til death we did part".

It has been therapeutic to have these different memorials. Due to the pandemic, we did things outside of the norm and they really suited us so much better. Having the different pieces spread out has been a blessing as well. Grief is a journey and a process of joy and sorrow which hit randomly and often unexpectedly.

This week, Google photos sent a memory from 2011 of a beach trip Mike and I took less than a year before his tragic accident. We didn't have smart phones at that time, but I guess I uploaded some from our camera, because it has the date stamp on it. That morning it was a joy to see this photo of Mike walking on the beach, although it was a bit melancholy at the same time. That night when I pulled it up again, it brought me to tears. It was if he was walking away from me to his heavenly home and the realization hit all over again that I will never see him again this side of heaven. It is a strange feeling that is hard to explain and hard to fully grasp. I have a dear friend going through her own grief journey and we have been texting and encouraging each other more this week. It is helpful to share especially when the waves of sadness hit hard. Our journeys are different and yet so similar.

The Scripture reference on Mike's stone, Ephesians 6:10, was one of his favorite greetings: "Be strong in the Lord..." One of his friends, Roy, in NC would respond back with the rest of the verse "...and the power of his might!" The day this photo popped up, I learned that Roy too had gone to his heavenly home. Once again they are greeting each other and praising the Lord together. There is much pain and sadness in this world, but for those of us who believe and trust Jesus, there is always victory and a deep abiding joy that this world and it's chaos will never be able to conquer or take away. 

My flowers are still blooming brightly and the ones in the memorial pot are also, so I took a few to the gravestone on Tuesday. I know Mike is not there, but the stone is a reminder that he passed through this life, lived it well, and stayed strong in his faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. It reminds me of our life together and God's faithfulness to carry us through. A memorial stone.

Ephesians 6:10

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."

If you want to see the post and videos from the release of ashes or the memorial we had in January, just scroll down to previous posts at https://onlyadventures.blogspot.com/

Memorial at Sea & A Week at the Beach with Family

August 7 & 8 - Rice family members from Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia gathered at Surfside Beach, South Carolina. There were hugs and laughter, little one's giggles and shyness, lots of talking, noise and general chaos, excitement at being at the ocean, playing in the waves, on the sand, and in the pool, plus several trips to the grocery store. Saturday was stormy and rainy, but was the only day that way.

We had a wonderful beachfront house. Family members from Amy's Mom's and Dad's side were mainly on one side and Rices on the other. Amy's side of the family has gathered at Surfside Beach for years and I had joined Keegan's family and Amy's parents last year. We had such a great time. Amy's Mom started planning early for a beach trip this summer to include more family and had found this large double house. After Mike passed away, I asked the rest of the Rice family if it would be possible to coordinate the release of his ashes with the week that we already had planned at the beach. Praise God, they were able to find a house one block away from us and everyone was able to come! 

Sunday night I had a special time with Caleb & Anastasia and Keegan & Amy. I shared what I had planned for the release of ashes service, plus gave them photos from when the boys were young, some with their Dad and some not. I also shared some of the blessings God had provided to me after Mike's death. We talked and shared and cried which was a true blessing and a precious time that I treasure. 

Monday, August 9 started with a beautiful sunrise and the promise of a great day to be out on the ocean. Amy's Uncle Dan goes deep sea fishing and provided seasickness-preventing pills, which had never crossed my mind and we were very thankful for! No matter how calm a day, the ocean is still moving. 😊 Amy's cousins, Chris & Narcisse, offered their vehicle so that we wouldn't have to shuttle people the 15 minutes to and fro which was another huge blessing to us! There were 19 of us going on the boat, 4 needed car seats, and most had flown to SC, so we only had Keegan's vehicle and my car.  Having the use of their vehicle that morning that already had a car seat was a real time-saver especially since we needed to be there by 7:30 AM. 

In front of Express Watersports before going out.
All my kids and grands. I'm so blessed.

We rented a boat through Express Watersports in Murrell's Inlet. They were wonderful to work with and I could tell they have trained their staff well for this more sensitive service that they provide. I mean it is quite different from the majority of their business which is renting jet skis, scuba-diving, kayaking, etc. They took care of the permits needed and knew the laws regarding the release of ashes. They also suggested a florist if we wanted to have flowers to throw, which was beautiful, and a caterer if we wanted to do a big breakfast afterwards. We opted to bring our own simple foods on the boat figuring that the children (and adults) would be hungry soon. Callas Florist was also wonderful. They suggested the wreath to put the ashes in and I'm so glad. Ashes are heavy and they would have sunk as soon as they were put in the ocean. This way they floated off which was so calm and peaceful. 

JJ, our First Mate, asked me if there was a particular reason why we came to that spot and I told him no, Mike loved any ocean and beach, plus I briefly told him that Mike and I met in Palau surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. He replied: "Well all the oceans connect, so his ashes could go all around the world." I love that thought! Later that week while bobbing up and down in the ocean with family, it was a distinctly pleasant thought to realize that part of Mike was right out there now, part of the ocean he dearly loved. 💕 After our 2 hour boat ride, I was given a certificate with the coordinates of where we released his ashes should we want to visit the site in the future. I told the boys, maybe my ashes could be released at the same spot when the time came, who knows?

We had a time of sharing before releasing the wreath with the ashes and the best way to share that with you is with photos and videos of our time on the ocean. JJ did a great job of videoing for me. A couple of the videos go from vertical to horizontal which then ends up being sideways, but I don't know how to fix that. The last video of the release of ashes is a bit chaotic as my phone was passed from person to person, but it's still meaningful to me and I was able to export still shots from it which come at the end of the album. Follow the link below to watch the videos of the service:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/doFhjM9HzrqHYjwn6

The rest of the week was a wonderful time with family. We played in the waves, the pool, played games after the littles were in bed, ate well, and made many blessed memories. It was hard to see family leave at the end of the week, but God had provided such a precious time with gorgeous weather and I couldn't have been more pleased with how everything worked out. Below are some photos from our week with a bit of commentary.

The Rice/Cipriano Guys

 

We never managed to get a photo of all of us together, but we did get several groupings. Here's the guys and gals shots. A lovely bunch that I am proud to call family.

The Rice/Cipriano Gals.

Cornhole on the beach!

 

All my beautiful grands. My cup runneth over! It wasn't until Wednesday that my littlest, Aurelia, (who had only seen me through a phone or computer screen) would let me play with her and hold her. Then we became buddies and I tearfully let her go Friday when they had to leave. The children played well together for the most part and we had a blast! So much joy having them all together!

Joy, such a cutie with
so much determination!

Aria, Seraphina & Riley played so well together.

Watson is so good 
with numbers.

Love that face!!

Finally buddies. 💕

Watson and I found a starfish.

Seraphina loves to make faces!

Adult game nights. We stayed up too late
and had so much fun!

Mark's wife, Jenney. Mike and Mark's sister,
Lynn, and her husband, Rogelio.

Keegan said it wasn't a Rice gathering
until we had the Cipriano's famous
chorizo and eggs breakfast! So
they obliged. YUM!

Gorgeous sunrises painted by God, our creator!

Cool design from the out-going tide.

Everyone thinks they look like Mike. 


   

People think they could be twins.
Do you think they could be twins?

Hanging out with G'ma.

Chillin with G'ma.

My sibs-in-law. I am so blessed by them.

Finding a moment to read.

Floaty Dad!

Mom Rice, my how
your family has grown!

Family photos with G'ma:

So glad Mom Rice came.

Caleb's family.

Keegan's family

Mark's family

Lynn's family

I went with Caleb's family to 
Huntington Beach State Park one morning.
We saw alligators and walked through an
old "castle". Very interesting.

Great shot at the castle.

Sweet Daddy/Daughter moments.

   

Princess story time with the girls.

Settlers of Catan Jr. 

Amy and Watson playing a card game.

The ocean wore Joy out.
Her hand is still in the bag
of Cheetos!

These magnetic blocks
provided lots of entertainment.

Mike would have loved being with all of his family at the ocean, but I believe we remembered him well and enjoyed the time we had with all of our loved ones even while there was an obvious hole. I sure was blessed with all of the memories of Mike that were shared and all of the new memories made. 

When I came home, the wild flowers planted in his memory were in bloom. The little heart I took off of the box of ashes and planted greeted me with sunny yellow cosmos swaying gently in the breeze. There is one more thing I will share with you once his gravestone is installed, which will finalize all of the memorial events for Mike; however, he will forever live in our hearts and in the lives he impacted while on this earth. 

Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.