Memories To Share

I haven't written in several months. I have struggled with where to take this blog now. It started out as a way to tell Leightyn's story and how our lives changed in such a short amount of time. It then became a way to express my feelings of pain and our journey of how we made it through many "first" the past 16 months.

The last few months I haven't really known what to write about. I just sit and nothing comes.....which means that it isn't the right time to write. I do want you to know that I am in a good place with everything that has happened. God continues to bless us everyday. I now have so much that I want to share about our blessings and God's faithfulness. But not tonight. I have something special I want to share instead.

Back in July we had a birthday party for Leightyn. This was the first without her so we really didn't know what to expect. We invited just the church kiddos. The day was so much better than I could have ever imagined! We asked that the kids bring baby items to be donated to a local Christian ran pregnancy help center/shelter. We were blown away with the amount of items donated!

We also asked each kid to write down their favorite memory of Leightyn. These memories were something that I would cherish forever. I love talking about Leightyn with these kids and couldn't wait to read what they considered their special memory. So, tonight I want to share some of the memories.

"Happy Birthday Lei Lei! The Big 6! My favorite memory is on Sundays. I would always have gum. Leightyn would always come to me and ask for a piece. Once I had sour gum. I told her. She said "it's ok I like it". So I gave her a piece. As soon as she stuck it in her mouth her face turned red. Then she spit it out and said "next time bring sweet gun". So I did and she loved it"

Happy Birthday! I Love You!"

Halie

"She was very nice"

Evan

"I know it will be a fantastic day in Heaven! My favorite memory is Leightyn coming in the church on Sunday mornings. She ran down the hallway and gave me a high-five or a hug! Priceless! I love you, Leightyn! Your Pastor, Forever! "

Bro. Mike

"I remember when Leightyn went to church camp with us. She was a good listener and was so much fun at the pool. I would always try to sit by her during devotion, but other kids would always get to her first. She was such an angel. At church, I would always see her having fun. She sure loved to sing. We all miss her, but we'll see her again someday."

Love, Grace

"I miss Lei Lei so much! My favorite memory with Leightyn was when we were at the river at Devils Den State Park. Holding her hand across the river. This year holding Mylea's hand felt like holding Leightyn's hand again. I will never ever forget her! Love You Leightyn!!"

Alex

"You asked for a memory about Lei Lei so here is mine. I remember when we went to Children's Camp in 2009. Lei Lei went down the slide, and she said "Faith, catch me". And so I did. She smiled and said "Again, again". So she went a whole lot. I always enjoyed playing with her. We will get to see her one day!"

Faith

"You know I have more memories of Leightyn then I could fit on this card. There are two favorite memories that come to mind today. The first one is when Lei was just learning to talk and you would ask her what her name was. She would say "baby" or "I sexy" in this cute little voice. You guys would say "your real name, not your street name". I still crack up about that. She was so little! My all time favorite memory though was when Mady Paige was born. I think Lei might have been the most excited. She was so proud when she came over for the first time to see her. Lei just sat down and held Mady like she was a little mother. In the picture, you can see pure delight in Lei's face"

Duppy

"I asked Hayden and Abby what they missed about Leightyn. Hayden said he misses playing with Leightyn. He then got specific. He said they had a lot of fun playing trains where the little kids room is at church. He misses her so much. Abby talks about Leightyn and everything in general. She misses all of them being together. Leightyn was the leader. Abby looked up to her. She always knew what to do. Abby says everyday that Leightyn is in Heaven with Jesus but Mylea still misses her".

Amanda, Hayden, and Abby

"When I think about Leightyn I feel sad"

Robert

"How do you pick your favorite memory of Leightyn? I guess it would be the river last year at Devil's Den. Missy and I were down there with a bunch of kids. Some of them had a snake cornered at the base of the spill way. Leightyn wanted to go see it. As we got closer, she got nervous and I picked her up and put her on my hip. A few more steps and her whole body began to shake. We hollered at all the kids and we got out of there. She loved the river and had a blast at camp. I am so thankful that she got to go"

Brenda

Here's the kiddos sending balloons up to Heaven for Leightyn.