The Redelsperger Family

On Monday, my husband was able to sit beside Sean and be with his family to help out during the day. Sean was in and out of consciousness all day long struggling to think clearly through the pain medications when he was awake. He turns to Aaron and asks, "How do you die well?" I loved my husband's response, as it is so fitting & so true of Sean. "You live well." His life was full of love for others, a life lived selflessly, and devoted to God and His teachings. I met Sean about 8 years ago when I first moved to Sacramento. He was a single dad at that point living in Gold River with a daughter Hailey, about to go into the youth ministry, Tyler (the kid who sat on the front pew and worshipped with all his heart), and Parker a young kid running the halls on Sunday's blending in with all the other little kids at Cordova, trading Pokemon cards! There was something special about Sean. He caught my attention within the first few weeks of moving her. I t...

The Maple Grove Church of Christ. A tiny church, filled with people (imperfect as all humans), loving God and wanting to do His will. Reflecting on my spiritual upbringing is, like all things, filled with both the highs and lows of emotions. I made so many friends and have loved the members that attended there as family. I have thousands of memories surrounding that small congregation struggling to survive over the 18 years of my attendance. This is probably one of the hardest reflections to write about as it's so close to my heart. Spiritual things tend to be personal and thus more sensitive to talk about or reflect on. I approach my reflections with great caution because I would never want to hurt anyone by my thoughts on this sweet little congregation, and yet sometimes even the best intentions have the potential to go astray. The Churches of Christ pride themselves in being Bible based and seeking to follow only the inspired Word of God rather than man made doctrine or rituals....

Homemade granola in very large quantities, tacos in large quantities, mac'n'cheese in large quantities, okay so FOOD in general in LARGE quantities: "today I'm praying for" hearts on the wall: intentional date nights: K-Love radio: the big yellow van: Brio devotionals in the field: basketball smack talk: "nose to the door" discipline: family room dance sessions: "Stand and Eat Liver" movie night (I'll explain that one later!): feeling a baby move inside her momma for the first time: These are just a few of the first things that pop into my head when I think about the family that moved in across the street from me when I was in third or fourth grade. The Kircher Family . When they moved in, they had six children, and I'll never forget the moving truck and the car that came along side, as it pulled up and they started unloading! As the youngest of four kids, and my siblings all being a lot older than me, I was elated when out of the...

I don't know if it's dropping Grace off at Kindergarten that has made me reflective on my own childhood or if I've just been thinking a lot lately. In any case, I've been looking back over my life and I've realized how many people I have to thank for shaping me into who I am today. I was sitting in Starbucks last night praying for our preacher of 14 years and his family as they move to Washington to begin a new chapter in their lives. I thought about the friends they made here, and the friends they will make up there. After I finished praying I decided to list out the people who have made an impact on my life. There were some experiences and people that I would have rather skipped over at the time, but now I realize it's all a part of the fabric of my life, the tapestry that tells my story. So, we begin: Part 1 The Monzo Family About a block away at the end of Tioga Street lived a family that is near and dear to my heart. I can not count the number of h...