Yesterday, October 21, 2008, I had a front row seat for an amazing display by our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit as Leah's life was celebrated and she was laid to rest where she was the happiest and that was "home". Home to Leah is a small tight-knit community in western Alabama where her family is from and the people are as genuine as the pine trees are green.
For the past four years, Leah had more bad days than good days. While working as a Space Camp counselor she contracted viral meningitis and never fully recovered from it. You won't find it in a medical journal but viral meningitis is capable of breaking a heart. She loved that job with her heart and soul and after the virus weakened her body she just could not handle it physically and mentally. She loved seeing the twinkle in the kids' eyes as she taught them about many of America's heroes of the 20th century. I'll never forget the day she came home devastated because she knew she was going to have to leave Space Camp. That day she had called astronaut Michael Collins, Phil Collins. It was a pivotal moment for her.
A door was opened as a member of our church, Elliot Tyler, offered her a job working in his office at Calhoun. It wasn't Space Camp but Leah enjoyed what she did there and things were flexible enough to where when she felt bad, she didn't have to go plain and simple and I'll be forever for her opportunity there. On August 24th, 2005, Leah had her first seizure. Except for a five-week stretch in April-May of this year, Leah dealt with her seizures almost daily. No doctor could ever tell us for sure why she was having them. The neurologists said that they were being caused by stress. The psychiatrists said they weren't caused by stress but she kept on fighting and trying to find what was wrong all the way to the end.
Her last week here with us was a blessing. With renewed energy thanks to a sleep study and a c-pap, Leah did things she hadn't done in months including cooking supper for me on back-to-back nights.
On Saturday morning the doctors believe that a pulmonary embolism put her body into a spiral in which it would never recover from culminating in her leaving us early Sunday morning with most of her family and her closest friends surrounding her as tired heart beat it's last beat.
The Father had one more trumpeter to sound the call. She always wanted to play a herald trumpet and wished she'd had that chance at the '96 Olympics.
That brought me to yesterday and the Spirit's work in the celebration of Leah's life.
Five of my closest friends used their amazing talents that God has given them to lift praises to him and help comfort those of us who are missing Leah so much already. Having been in that situation many times before it is so hard to sing when someone you love is gone and someone you love is sitting there hurting. I know Leah sang along with every note of every verse as Gretta, Donnie, Scott, Clay and Jeremy honored us and her by singing.
A dear friend of Leah's family, pastor Jamie Turner, opened the service with a beautiful prayer and words about Leah. One of the sweetest and most tenderhearted men on the planet, Perry Jinkerson, honored us by recounting many of his memories of Leah in her days at the University Christian Student Center at Mississippi State where he is the campus minister. Perry's words helped heal our broken hearts as we mourned our loss. I can't help but to think back to the warm day in May 2001 when Perry as eloquent as ever chose the perfect words to unite Leah and I in front of many of the same friends and family. Perry, I'm forever thankful for all that you've done for me.
The love of my life is gone. All we have now are some very fond memories but she is not hurting anymore and we don't have to worry about her any more.
I'm used to recapping events the events that go on between the lines on athletic fields and I wish I could describe every single detail of yesterday and how awesome it was from the beautiful weather, to some of the best singing I have heard in any setting, to the moving message that God helped guide Perry through.
My only fear in the early hours after Leah's passing was being alone but I now know that with the love and outpouring shown by my friends and family that they're not going to let that happen and I shouldn't worry about it and she would not want me to dwell on that. I am truly at peace right now, please pray that it continues and that God continues to wrap his arms around me like he has so far.
My heart is heavy but I know He has and will provide for me in the coming days and I've got to let Him lead and guide me.
Please continue to pray for me and both my family and Leah's, although she rode a roller coaster of sickness this was so unexpected for us.
