Roots

"Deep roots provide comfort in times of tragedy" 

I first saw this quote (and I have no idea who to honor these words with) on the billboard of a church when Jon and I were traveling from Overland Park, KS to Dexter, MO last summer. That was the summer my cousin Jeff tragically passed away from a brain aneurism. I saw the words, but the reality of those words didn't hit home until the next morning. You see Jeff was living in Kansas City at the time of his death, but his hometown was Dexter. If you're not familiar with your Missouri Geography it's quite the distance apart. When I walked into his service the next morning in his hometown I was instantly brought to tears. The amount of flowers alone was unbelievable. I wish I had pictures to show you. Seriously I bet there were hundreds of arrangements. It was overwhelmingly beautiful and the words above instantly shot in my mind. Jeff had deep roots in a small community, and when tragedy struck our family those roots provided serious comfort.

Growing up in Jefferson City, the trend was in high school among friends was pretty consistent, "I'm not staying in Jeff". Most of us were searching for our tickets out of this town. We wanted to move on to bigger and better things. Some of us moved on, some of us didn't. Since then, some of us have come home. 

In the last month our family experienced another tragedy, one that wasn't nearly as tragic as Jeff's, but enough to rock our cores. And since Kurt's accident, I've been constantly reminded of the words above again. You see, our families have deep roots in this town, and when tragedy struck, you better believe those roots have provided serious comfort. The love and support shown to our sister and brother have been overwhelmingly beautiful. This IS a small town, but one with a huge heart and a great sense of community. 

Thank You to everyone who offers to lend a hand, offers a donation, lifts them up in prayer, and asks us about their recovery.  To those who moved on and found bigger dreams, I'm so happy for you, but remember where you came from and be proud. Jefferson City is our hometown, and I couldn't be prouder of our deep roots.