Sweet friends… I have been MIA  for the past few weeks because Kevin Von Weaver [My husband, Ryan’s, father and mine (for he always cared for me as his own)] finished his 8 year battle with Multiple Myeloma, and went to be with King Jesus on May the 24th.

As I make my journey back to Maryland from Texas, I wanted to share with you what I witnessed. I saw first hand a husband and wife who took every step of their journey side by side as best friends and co-adventurers. No matter what they faced in sickness and in health, Kevin & Christine (Chris) Weaver were always, always, always caring for and encouraging one another. They were together without regard for self… pouring everything they had out for each other relentlessly.

With his last words Dad was asking Chris if she was “okay,” and not in a flippant sense, but in a deep and future thinking sense…  and Chris, well, she was laying by his side in the hospital bed, holding his hand, stroking his hair, assuring him that it indeed was “okay,” and singing his favorite hymns (It Is Well, How Great Thou Art, My Jesus I Love Thee) with the voice that he adored.

She led us all (his sons, daughters, sister, and mom) in these songs. And as our voices rang out in worship, he took his last breaths. It was sweet. It was joyful. It was tear soaked. It was terrible. It was exactly the way it was ordained to be.

For those of us left behind… we rest in the truth that Dad is with Jesus and therefor no longer in pain, we find joy in the fact that our shared faith in Jesus the King will reunite us someday, but we exist in the tension of creating a new unwanted normal. A deeply sad, slightly enraging normal. A normal without his smile, his hugs, his pranks, and his always entertaining and endearing stories. This is a normal we wish to reject.

We will figure out this new normal, by simply doing the next thing, and the next, and the next. But before we can “do” these things well, we must absolutely allow ourselves to be upheld by the mighty hand of our Abba Father… for we find our “being” in Him, our rest, our hope, our strength, and our future. And this is such good news! Because of this we will be able to follow in the beautiful legacy of grace and faith that Kevin Von Weaver lived before us. This is a normal in which we can abide and even flourish. Without a doubt our faith will become stronger, and our longing for heaven deeper…

See You Soon, Pops!

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

Romans 8:15-17 MSG

If you would like to hear a bit more about the man we all loved so dearly, you can visit the site my web designer created for us to share our stories: www.kevinweaver.me

I would also like to thank my amazing friends in the Wedding industry who took care of my clients, as I would, while I spent this time with my family. Thank you Sarah Murray, Chad Heller, and Jana Richardson. I am forever grateful to you all!