Splendid Mayhem: Uncle Stevie- RIP. We Love You. We Miss You.

Welcome To Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Uncle Stevie- RIP. We Love You. We Miss You.

Steven H. L. of ____, 48, passed away Thursday, September 18, 2008. He was born March 13, 1960 in Ft. Worth, Texas but had lived in ____ for 46 years.
Steve was a 1978 graduate of ____. He was a building contractor and land developer for 25 years. Steve was a devoted family man with a strong work ethic. He was a nurturing father who doted on his son Tyler.

Steve never met a stranger and his charismatic personality attracted many friends. He was very generous and always gave more than he received. Steve had a lust for life, always living it to the fullest. Steve had a love for the water, boating and camping with his family and friends. He had a passion for motorcycles. His special love was for the farm where he found peace and solitude. If you couldn’t find Steve at the farm, he was sure to be surrounded by his best friends. He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Janet, grandparents; Herman and Bernice, Martin and Louise.

Steve is survived by his wife of 23 years, Pam and his son Tyler, his father, James, brother Jim II and his wife Liz, his sister Jennifer and her husband Stacy, mother and father-in-law, Don and Joyce, sister-in-law Terri and her husband Max, brother-in law Robert and his wife Lisa and sister-in-law Degina; nieces and nephews, Eric , Brandon, Lyndsey, Brad, BreeAnn, Tiffany and her husband Will, Jessica and her husband Adam, Hannah, Brandon, Abbey, Penelope, Callie and G.W. Cooper. He is also survived by three nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers are Gary, Frank, Don, Russell, Stacy, Jason and Cyrus.

Honorary Pallbearers are Jeff, Steve, Larry, Mike, Mike, D.L., Dennis, Rick, Will, Nicky, Rick, James, David, Robert, and Max.

Arrangements are by C-H Funeral Home. Visitation will be Sunday September 21 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and funeral services will be held at C-H Funeral Home Chapel, Monday September 22 at 10:00 a.m. with Minister Allen and Bro. John officiating. Burial will follow at M. G.

Family and friends are welcome, following burial, at the home, Address Here.

I wanted to post a copy of the Obituary. I edited out places and removed last names b/c I wouldn't post those without asking before I posted that kind of stuff. I got more info involving the wreck while we were there, and it was not nearly as 'simple' as I thought. I will post later. I want to be up blogging again- I'm just so scatterbrained with everything. And, we are taking Logen to St Louis tomorrow. So wish us luck and pray as we are on the road traveling a good distance.