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We didn't do a lot today-- mostly hung out with our family that is still in town, which was perfect for today. All three girls go back to school tomorrow while I am not going back to work yet this week.
I wanted to share with you Jessa's obituary and an article about her both of which were in the Star Telegram. Here's Jessa's obituary: http://www.legacy.com/DFW/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=119551141
Here's the article about Jess: http://www.star-telegram.com/obituaries/story/1011883.html
On our wedding day Jess and I had an amazing mother and daughter sing songs that were precious to us. One of our family members told us one of them had posted on our blog, but I couldn't find it. Perhaps they said something on their own blog? Please post a comment if you know more about it. I did find in rereading comments over the past several days a new comment about Barbara (our minister who did our wedding). I was saddened to learn that Barbara had passed away from cancer-- I also thought that she and Jess shared the same heart for other people despite their own suffering.
Oops, I originally repeated the same story the first time I posted this. Here's a new one. Right before our wedding started, one of my groom's men said something I didn't expect to hear. We had just been told it was our time to make our entrance, when he said, "I have to go to the bathroom." When I asked him if it could wait, he told me that he was really nervous and now he had diarrhea-- and no he wasn't joking. Thankfully the music at our wedding was really good because those in attendance got to hear about ten more minutes of it covering for him.
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7 comments:
Jake,
This is Melody's daughter, the one who sang with her in your wedding. My mom is the one who sent the link to my blog post to Sandy. You can go to my blog and see the post - it's the most recent one on there with the heading "The Aroma of Christ..."
Still thinking often throughout the day, and praying God's grace and peace over your family~
as a faithful follower of the blog, i just wanted to let you know you mentioned Jessa's car wedding story yesterday and again today -- just pointing it out
Dear Kaylor Family,
Brian and I are praying for you to receive Christ's rest for your physical bodies and restoration for your spirit. I would of loved to have met your lovely wife. Our daughters are in first grade together at Wood. Reading her blog has been an encouragement and inspiration to me. I am in awe of the presence of Christ so radiantly permeating your wife's spirit. She indeed is a Saint and a mom to inspire the rest of us to walk closer with our God every moment. Thank you for sharing your journey with those whom you do not know yet. We love you and your family.
The Sepulveda Family
I have been enjoying playing catch-up and reading the daily blogs.
Your choice of songs that are being played on each post has really touched my heart. I've never been the biggest fan of contemporary Christian music, but these songs have been great comfort and a great soundtrack to yours and Jessica's story.
We celebrated All Saints Day at our church today. After the names of those who died from our church this year were read, our pastor invited us to say the names of those in our hearts, either out loud or quietly. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't have the guts to say it out loud; Jessica's name was on the list of folks that we lost this year in my heart.
I guess you could say that this is as much of a testimony to Jessica as anything else: that she continues to inspire and touch those who never met her, that her story is being told by people who never met her to others as a way of showing the love of Christ that sustains those who mourn and suffer. (Today's Gospel reading at church was the Beautitudes. "Blessed are you who mourn...." Indeed, if this blog is any indication, you all are truly blessed.)
In Him and around the corner,
Al Rearick
I'll be praying for the girls today as they return to school. God wrap your loving arms around them today and help them know you are with them every step of the way. Amen.
Joy Stewart
Jake -- we send our hugs. The celebrations in honor of Jessica's life were incredible --- just as incredible as sweet Jess. She indeed was a good and faithful servant, wife and mother. Thank you for the link for the articles and for the wonderful wedding stories -- keep them coming.
We hold you all in our prayers,
Aunt Lynne
Jake, Hello again, I've posted 2 or 3 times before. I am one of the many people from many miles away (NYC in my case) who never met Jessica, yet who have been moved and inspired by her story and by your family's faith and love.
Like Jessica, I was diagnosed with breast cancer as a young woman in my early 30s. I also have a small child. Like Katelyn, I am the oldest of three daughters and lost my dear mother to cancer when I was just 14. I read about Jessica for the first time on the YSC (Young Survival Coalition) website just a few weeks ago. Someone posted a message on the "Metastatic Disease" bulletin board saying that "Jessica/Texasmomof3 needs some love". (If you check the site -- http://www.youngsurvival.org you'll find the Boards under "Community" then "Bulletin Board" and then "Metastatic Disease" -- the note about Jessica is about halfway down the page. There is another board called the "Remembrance Board" and some of the women who had met Jessica at the YSC Conference she attended posted their memories of her. Like seemingly everyone who knew her, they invariably all described her as incredibly sweet, warm and kind.
Anyway, in the body of the first message about Jessica was a link to your blog. I followed it, ended up here and started reading. Several hours later, tears streaming down my face, I had read the entire thing -- going back to 2005. I was somehow drawn to your family's story, your honesty, your humor, your faith and your love. I ended up logging on every morning over the past few weeks, looking for an update on Jessica and I grieved with all of you when I read the entry from the 29th.
I probably won't be logging on much going forward but I do want to let you know how much you all have touched me and how I'll never forget Jessica or your family. I hope the girls had a good first day back at school, particularly Katelyn. As I went through a very similar experience at that exact same age, I know all too well how hard it is have to grow up too fast. As a teenager, her biggest concerns and worries should be things like boys or pimples and its hard to reconcile the desire to be a "normal teen" with the sense of responsibility she will probably feel. That said, you seem like a wonderful father and you all have a fantastic support system in your extended family and community and I'm positive she'll be okay. The other thing to know -- although my mother has now been gone for over 20 years, there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her and although she was not physically present, her presence was strongly felt by me at all my important milestones (graduations, marriage, birth, cancer surgery, etc.) The one regret I have is that my own father, in his pain and trying not to upset us too much, didn't mention my mother very often - he hardly ever spoke of her although my sisters and I definitely did. I hope that unlike my dad, you continue to tell her stories and keep her memory alive.
I also had a big crisis of faith at Katelyn's age. I had prayed for years that my mom would get better, that she wouldn't die and her cancer would be cured. When she did die, I felt like God hadn't answered my prayers and worse, that He didn't exist. It took me a long time to get past this feeling of abandonment. Even when I was diagnosed myself with cancer, again I questioned my faith, and was angry at God for "doing this to me". Hadn't my family suffered enough? Why me? etc. At my lowest points, I still struggle with these kinds of thoughts.
I guess that's the main thing that I am taking away from reading the blog and from Jess (and you). Never once did Jessica appear to be angry at her diagnosis/prognosis, never once did she say "why me?" and she never displayed an ounce of self-pity in any of her postings. Of course, she wanted to live to see her daughters grow up, she wanted that miracle, she hoped for a cure, but in the end, she accepted that this was part of a bigger plan and never once stopped loving or believing in God's goodness. That is, I think, why so many people have been drawn to this blog. Jessica was truly "saintly" in her faith; and in her illness, struggle and death, I think she showed the rest of us how to live.
You are all in my prayers.
Warm regards,
Carolyn in NYC
(carolynkelly@earthlink.net)
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