Lindsay's 36th Birthday!

Thirty-six years ago today, Lindsay was born. God had a plan and a purpose for her life that I believe she lived out fully in the almost 23 years she was here! She had a true heart for the Lord and lived her life accordingly. Every time I think of her or of Jason, I think of heaven. For me (and I'm sure many others), their story is a reminder of how short and precious life is... and of what really matters and what doesn't. God views death much differently than we do. For those of us who have accepted Christ's gift of Salvation, there is a guarantee of eternal life in heaven with Him. So naturally, when I think of them, I think of heaven and how that is our ultimate destination. It is so easy to get caught up in the stresses that come with adulthood and everyday life, but to remember that God is in control and to keep the perspective on what matters for eternity and what doesn't, is a true gift. This is a perspective that Lindsay had while she was here. This is an excerpt from one of her journals:

"I greatly desire to have many crowns to give my God when I get to heaven. Nothing on earth matters in light of eternity. It is so easy to get caught up in the things of the world and forget what really matters. How amazing that we have forever to spend with Christ. The more we worship and spend our lives for Christ on earth the better we can serve Him in heaven. I sometimes think of myself as a pilgrim in a foreign land traveling through life. We are here temporarily. I should be less materialistic and give more to God. Don’t waste time."

Beautiful Lindsay at Donner Lake, Summer 2004

Lindsay was a remarkable person with a remarkable faith! She was loved by so many people and her memory is kept alive by those who knew & loved her most. I didn't know her personally (only having met her once) but I love hearing stories about her. I am truly looking forward to getting to know her in heaven! I can only try to imagine the adventures that she & Jason (and Caleb) are experiencing at this very moment. ♥ Her mom wrote a sweet tribute for her birthday today:

Go Tribe!

I am sure that, to those of you who didn't know Lindsay very well, this would seem like a strange start to what I am about to say. But if you did know her you would completely get it. She had to be one of the biggest Cleveland Indians fan that there ever was! In fact, on her eighteenth birthday, we all went to the ball game with her. To her surprise, we had "Happy Birthday Lindsay" put up on the big screen for all to see. Last month, Chris took our oldest grandson (Jackson) to a game and he became an instant fan. How cute he looked when he came home in his new Indians cap! He knew his Aunt Lindsay was a huge fan and that we still had all her Tribe things in our shed. It didn't take him long to start going through all her items and scrap books. Even though it was hard to see all those things again it brought me joy to remember the good times. All that to say, on her birthday today, we will be going north to the Cleveland game once again! She would be so happy! And what is really neat is that the Lord worked out a way for us to meet the team after the game and to go down and be on the field. Funny how God works isn't it? He cares about the smallest details. I am sure that Lindsay has met so many saints of old, and to be in the presence of the Lord, that she couldn't care less about being a fan anymore. But boy, is her nephew Jackson ever excited! To see the joy on his face will help make the fact that we can't see her on her birthday a bit easier."

Happy Birthday Lindsay! ♥ You are loved by so many and you will never be forgotten!