Faith
I threw the bikes in the back of the truck today and Kim and I took Cameron to the bike shop. I got my front flat tire fixed and we picked up some new bike helmets and Cameron and I got a couple bells for our bikes.
Then we hit the W&OD Trail for Cameron’s inaugural trip on the bike trail. But the warm afternoon had brought out swarms of bikers, and walkers, and strollers, and runners; and the stress of teaching Cameron the proper safety and etiquette of riding on the trail was too much for Pop Pop under these conditions, so we bailed out after a short while to the High school parking lot to try out our bells.
Dinner had its challenges too. We made homemade pizzas. Cameron was in charge of the cheese so naturally we had extra cheese. But in my zeal to clone the pizza that was just like the one from Freddie’s Pizzeria on Broadway in Long Branch New Jersey, I slid it off the pan too early and watched in horror as my pizza sauce and all that extra cheese crashed to the bottom of the oven.
In spite of all that we laughed, and salvaged a second attempt to make the perfect pizza…though perfect it was not.
And though I enjoyed a nice weekend with family, my heart hurt.
At church this morning I was handed a cell phone open to a facebook post that read:
It’s a pretty magical thing to find your soulmate in this world.
Like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle, our crazy curvy edges matched and we fit together like no one else could.
On March 15, 2018 my husband was tragically taken from us.
“Where there is a lot of love, there is a lot of pain” – and after ten years of knowing and loving Brandon, 3 years and 11 months of marriage, and 3 beautiful girls; our love runs deep, and has been strengthened by our faith.
I keep trying to find the words to share with you – our friends and family – but nothing feels right.
I want to thank you all for your continuous love and support and prayers over the last 3 days. The coming days are going to be excruciating, as we dig deep to find the strength we need to heal.
Please keep us in your prayers, as I now have to find the words and the answers to tell my girls that their Daddy is not coming home.
Posted morning of March 18 by Chelsea Brownfield.
Chelsea Brownfield is a member of my church family. Chelsea’s parents, Joy and Roy, are part of my church family too. Chelsea grew up in church.
Chelsea relocated from Northern Virginia to south Florida.
On March 15th her husband Brandon was under that bridge that collapsed in Miami. Since that time and up until this morning, Chelsea’s family had been waiting with hope. The hope the faith allows you to have.
And Chelsea’s church family had that hope too, and waited, and prayed.
Many in the world will tell you having a strong faith and being Christian, is not always a good thing. Some associate you with having a mental illness; or maybe assume you are racist; or in some parts of the world are persecuted.
I don’t understand any of those things.
But I do understand what faith can do.
I saw it with my wife almost sixteen years ago. It still carries her.
And I saw it again the last few days and particularly today in the words of this young lady.
Something has her, something is lifting her up and carrying her now.
God has her.
The coming days and months will be excruciating, and healing will never come.
But sixteen years from now; 25 years from now, her faith will still be carrying her.
And as a result the time will come when she will be able to enjoy bike rides on Sunday afternoons and not so perfect pizzas with her beautiful daughters; and someday their children.
And she will laugh.
Because she will learn that it’s okay to laugh again.
Because God wants her to laugh again.
A Go Fund Me account has been set up to help Chelsea and those little girls. If you are interested in donating here is the link.
And please keep Chelsea, those little girls; and my friends Joy and Roy, and Brandon’s family in your prayers. As well as the others who were injured or perished in that unimaginable accident.