It has been three years since Shelby left us to be with her Savior, but I've never stopped thinking about her. Constantly, I am asked, "What does your bracelet say?" Over time I have came from saying, "It's for my friend Shelby who passed away," to saying, "It's for my friend Shelby. She passed away, but she's with her Lord in Heaven now." It doesn't make me miss her any less, but it sure does give me a sense of hope and a sense of peace to remind myself that she is somewhere far better than here.
Today, Shelby's dad posted on facebook:
"Its been three years and I'm just now coming to grips with the fact that your not coming home. The pain gets easier to handle but the hole in my heart never goes away. See you again soon girl in the big big house that He has prepared."
I have no idea what it is like to lose a child, but I really like the way Coach Estep put it. I am starting to understand that God has taken Shelby to sit with Him up in Heaven and watch over all of us. While I'm sure that is true, there was something about Shelby Lea Estep that could never be replaced. Because of that, even I am left here on Earth with hole in my heart because death is something that I can't exactly understand as a mere human being.
My prayers today are with the Esteps and all of our Eclipse family. I sure do love you guys.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My family left yesterday after a week long visit. I had the best time with them. I hated that I had to work most of the week, but we still got to spend a lot of good time together. Thursday we went rafting. Here are some pics!
It was sad to see them go, but I will officially be back in Missouri in three short weeks. Goodness, how this summer has flown. I am anxious to be back at my school, with my friends, and close to my family, but Colorado has been such a good experience for me. But I'll save that for the next post. I'm going to finish the summer out strong and I'll be back on here soon writing all about it!
Love you guys.
Anna
