Tour of California

Dear Friends,

The past week has been difficult without Jerry. Valentine's Day was really sad and then to top that off cycling's Tour of California (America's biggest bicycle race) began on February 14 with 9 days of racing and finished up yesterday. It's a timed 750-mile race that began in northern California near Sacramento and ends in southern California at Escondido. It was a race that Jerry followed each year and thoroughly enjoyed and I thought of him constantly with every bit of news that I saw or read over the week. In fact, I didn't know it, but Jerry had already pre-programmed our TV to record this cycling series. I realized this one day this past week when I turned on the TV one afternoon and it automatically jumped to the cycling channel and was in the middle of recording. I now have 5 of the 8 stages recorded - the others of which were deleted when the kids would turn on our TV and stop/delete the recording so they could watch the Disney Channel! ha ha ...sorry Jerry!
It's bittersweet to know that I have these recordings and yet I found myself watching some of the race yesterday just to honor Jerry, knowing that if he were here that's what we'd be doing.


This picture is of Jerry taken in 2007 at the starting line of Stage 6 that left from Santa Barbara.

Lance Armstrong participated in the race this year (and if I'm not mistaken this was the first time he has participated in this race?) and his teammate, Levi Leipheimer, won the race for the 3rd year in a row. It crushed me knowing that Jerry would have gone to some of the race sites had he been here in hopes of catching a glimpse of Lance and possibly snapping a picture. He would have just been thrilled!





Another picture of Jerry at the 2007 Tour of California.


All this racing makes me think of Jerry and the race that he has now finished and WON!

Titus 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Friends, it's a free invitation and God wants all of us on His team!
Run the race with me and join me in greeting Jerry at the finish line!

Love, Candy

Happy Valentine's Day Daddy!

Happy Valentine's Day Jerry!

.

You were a Sweetheart of a husband and a Sweetheart

of a Daddy. We love you and miss you and you're on

our hearts today!

.

Love, Candy, Natalie and Joshua

He created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it...(Revelation 10:6)

I took this picture last Saturday evening while Natalie, Joshua and I were walking along the beach with friends. I was able to capture the sunset at just the right moment and wanted to share it with you! We could see and feel the handiwork of our great God as we enjoyed the sand and the water and our hearts were captivated by his goodness and creativity! Natalie was able to find several pieces of sea glass that she is collecting and was very excited. In one particular area the rocks were covered with mussels and other sea life. However, Joshua and his friend, Brent, were more interested in picking up sticks and wood to build a fort than they were in anything else...boys!

As we walked the beach this particular day a lot of my thoughts were with Jerry. I even felt guilty for enjoying the beach and surrounding beauty without him. Jerry was the whole reason that God enabled us to move here in the first place! Now, I'm still here and he's gone. Death is such an ugly reminder of the sin curse that our world suffers from. As Randy Alcorn put it in his book Heaven, "We all have a terminal disease called mortality. The current death rate is 100%." For Jerry, death just came a lot sooner than was ever anticipated. However, death is not the end for those who have put their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. For Christians never really die. Death is the doorway to eternal life. Jerry has not ceased to live, he just changed his address!

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8)

Thank you to many of you who continue to send cards and e-mails and check on us with phone calls. It lets me know that we are not forgotten. It is always funny how those cards seem to come at just the right moment too. I was feeling particularly lonely earlier this week. This past Monday, February 2nd, marked 4 months since Jerry died. I felt as if the world were going on without us and we were being left behind. During this week I received 4 cards from people and each one specifically told me that "although friends and family are back to their routines, our heavy loss had not been forgotten and that we are thought of and prayed for continously. Now how does God do that? !! Four cards...from 4 different people who spoke exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you for remembering us!

Candy