Remembering Granger

I wanted to post some specifics on Granger's Memorial Service and some other opportunities/requests.

Granger's Memorial Service:
Date: Saturday, August 8, 2009
Time: 11am Public Viewing ~ 12pm Service
Location: Beck's Funeral Home
405 - 5th Avenue South
Edmonds, WA
Reception: Royal Unicorn Restaurant in Shoreline, WA

How you can help...

1) Send a letter to Granger and/or his family to share with them your affection for Granger. Please email these letters and I will print them all and put a book together to give to the family. I want them to have something tangible that they can pull out any time they want to read of the love that we all have for our friend. These letters will not be read by anyone but the family, these will not be publicly displayed.
Email to: grangerslife@gmail.com
I would like to have this all complete by Thursday, August 6, 2009 IF possible.

2) Please send your pictures in for the video being made. Any pictures that you may have of Granger are wanted and appreciated. You can email them to me at sjgroenink@att.net or directly to John who will be putting the video together at robertsjohnj@gmail.com.

3) Many of you have asked about a fund for Granger's daughter (almost 5). This is being worked on and as soon as I know the details, I will get that information out to you all.

My heart continues to ache for Granger's family, daughter and friends. My mind never wanders from his goofy face that made me smile the instant I saw it and all of the memories I have of my sweet friend!

I hope that you will all do what you can to make sure that Granger's family feels the love that we all have for him!!

Saying Good Bye...

...is NEVER an easy thing to do. Especially when it has to do with death.

Sadly, my friend Granger passed away yesterday, July 28, 2009 at the age of 30. I will write later of how that night came about, but for now, I ask you to pray for his family, his friends and all that loved him. But most of all, I ask you to pray for his almost 5 year old daughter that the Lord will comfort her and help her to understand what she is going through.

Granger, I love you and I miss you already. I am blessed to call you my friend!!

Praying for My Friend Granger

My friend Granger is in a coma right now. I heard of this terrible news last night and was able to get in contact with his sister this morning to find out more details.

Granger, who I went to Middle school and High school with had several cardiac arrests & is lying in the hospital on life-support.

I went to visit him this morning just to hold his hand and talk to him and to support his family in any way that I can. His brother Jeff and sister Amanda as well as his parents, daughter and friends are hurting deeply and it is so hard to see friends in such terrible pain. There is nothing that I can do to make them feel better, which is always hard for me to grasp, but I CAN pray for them, and I am doing that constantly!

I ask you to pray with me that Granger will make a full and quick recovery. This is going to be a long, hard road for him and everybody who has been touched by him, but the power of prayer is what can get him through this!

I also ask you to pray for his family that they will feel comfort, peace and understanding and especially his little daughter who will be 5 the beginning of October that the Lord will protect her and comfort her as she deals with this very difficult situation with her Daddy!

Granger, I love you and know that the Lord is with you and will guide you through all of this! Wake up and get better so we can finally take our girls to the park together like we've talked about for so long!! So many people love you and need you to stick with us! You are a FIGHTER & I expect that 100% out of you right now! Fight on my friend & I'll see you very soon!

Granger and I on my 30th Birthday last year!

Quick Update

Watching the Kirkland Parade

The ground was HOT, but she was so weak, she had to sit down poor thing...

But, ultimately, she was all smiles...although this was before the walk home...not a fun thing when you're running a fever and have a tummy ache!

Happy at the fireworks...even though she was feeling rotten

Her eyes just make me melt!

I find myself alway thinking, I need to blog 'this' or 'that' and then for whatever reason, don't end up doing it. That could show my ability to procrastinate?! Anyway, just thought I would put it out there that is well here.

Mikaelyn dealt with the flu over the weekend, which of course was the 4th of July holiday, but I was still a COOL Mom and allowed her to do the things that she wanted to do. We went to the Kirkland parade as well as watched the Fireworks...even though she was still running a fever and in the end came home after fireworks and threw everything up. Luckily she threw up in the toilet this time! (Maybe TMI, but this was a BIG deal as she has never actually made it there before!)

She is well now and we're taking each day as it comes and I'm just trying to enjoy my little girl. She's growing up so quickly and I'm left here thinking, where did all the time go?! We don't have much on the books this summer, which is kind of a blessing. We don't have anything that we need to get ready for, just enjoying the time off before she goes back to school and grows up even more!

Born Again!

Yesterday, July 2, 2009 was a VERY special day in our house. Mikaelyn made the decision to ask Jesus into her heart and become a Christian!! This process has been going on for a few months now (not to mention the prayers that have been said by myself and my family & friends since she was born that she would some day give her life to the Lord).
A few months back, I started talking to her about what it meant to be a Christian. Immediately she said "I don't want to be a Christian, he's a BOY!" See, my nephew's name is Christian and of course, she attributed the 'word' Christian with the 'name' Christian. It has taken countless discussions and explanations to finally get her to understand the difference. Phew!! I was worried for a little bit. :o)
Anyway, Mikaelyn is VERY aware of what she did and completely understands this commitment and very important decision that she made. We sat and talked about how she wanted to go to Heaven and to be a Christian and how the only way to make that possible was to ask Jesus to forgive her sins and come and live in her heart. She said that she wanted to pray and do just that so I prayed for her and then she said that all important prayer!!! Of course, being the sweet girl that she is, she also prayed that Jesus would come into her Daddy's heart so that he could be a Christian too...she's always thinking of others...such a tender moment!! When we were finished, we called Grandma & Papa and got both of them on the phone to tell them...obviously, they were ecstatic and knew that Mikaelyn was so ready for this decision! Mikaelyn then ran to her Daddy and said, "Daddy, I'M A CHRISTIAN!!" Then she continued running around the house yelling "I'M A CHRISTIAN"!! It was so cute!
All day yesterday, she told everybody that was willing to listen that she was a Christian...what a witness I have on my hands! :o)
So, yesterday will go down in the books as probably the 3rd most important day in my life. #1 was the day I accepted Jesus as my savior when I was 5 years old (I think), #2 was the day Mikaelyn was born and now #3 is the day she gave her life to the Lord! We will celebrate July 2 as Mikaelyn's spiritual birthday for many, many years to come!!
God is so good and this has NOTHING to do with me, but only by His grace, mercy and faithfulness that my little girl has made the most important decision of her life! I am completely humbled!