A simple thank you is not enough, but the gratitude in my heart is overwhelming. I’ve been humbled by the generosity of friends and strangers over the past year. There is no doubt about it, my family could not have endured this trial without the support of the Prayer Warriors. Every kind thought, every silent prayer, every gesture (no matter how large or small) has uplifted my family.
It has been huge transition to our new reality at home. There have been some sad days… but God’s grace has helped us move forward every single day. We find a new level of “normal” every day. Mostly it’s full of happy memories and plans for a bright future. During this transition, it has been comforting to resume our daily routine. We have been busy with the normal tasks of living: homework, play dates, school events, baths, dinner time, etc. Again, I thank all of our friends and neighbors for their help with coordinating childcare so that I can run errands or have some “alone time.” And the kindness of the folks up at our neighborhood school has been tremendous. I cannot say it enough - thank you!
But most importantly, it has been amazing to watch God’s miracles continue to unfold. From the gorgeous pink sunsets that just don’t seem to end…to finding a special Bible study with Stephanie’s handwritten notes tucked away in a drawer….God continues to bless our lives each and every day.
I am so grateful to our dear friends Troy and Jennifer who helped care for Baby Gracie during our absence in Rochester. They created a warm and loving home for our sweet little girl for many weeks. And as God continues to work miracles, Troy and Jennifer now live in our neighborhood - right down street! This blessing will allow them to continue their relationship with our family and help with childcare needs as I am back to work. If you trust in the Lord, things really do seem to fall into place.
It would take pages and pages to thank each person who has helped me throughout this journey, but I must single out one remarkable woman: Brooke Frost. She was worn so many different hats during this difficult time. She has gone above and beyond offering her love, wisdom, resources and time. Thank you to the entire Frost family for wrapping your arms around me and my kids. Thank you for all that you have done. You are amazing.
Our blog master, Kim Casey, also deserves many thanks. The communication tool that she created and maintained proved to be a tremendous source of inspiration and strength for me. And judging by the many comments made by others, it served as an amazing informational and inspirational source for family, friends, and complete strangers. Kim’s dedication and contribution will forever be appreciated!
To the staff at Mayo/Methodist: Thank you for your love and care - we will never forget you! What you do each day is amazing!
To Stacy Psyches and staff of Hands of Compassion: Thank you for your loving support through visits, prayer, and hospitality - you are a true blessing!
To all of the new owners of pink laundry rooms and other tributes: Each of your tributes to Stephanie are amazing! What a great way to honor a great woman. She would absolutely LOVE every single one of them - she loved little details! Thank you.
To all of the folks that have provided food: Thank you! Your gift of food was WAY better than what I usually prepare (PB&J, nuggets, etc).
To all that contributed to organizing events on Stephanie's behalf! Absolutely incredible! I can't thank you enough for honoring Stephanie's life with such great events! We plan on continuing events in the future to honor Stephanie's life and help others through a few foundations. We'll keep you posted.
It's probably impossible to thank every single person for everything that has been done for us over the past several months... Please just know that we are absolutely thankful for everything, and thank God for each of you every day! My continued prayer every day is that God blesses you all with closer bonds with family and friends and most importantly, with God! I also continue to pray that one good thing happens each day as a result of Stephanie's battle... this blog has been an excellent source to prove that great things happen every day.
Although the resource (blog) will be gone, I know in my heart that many good things will continue to happen daily, in each of our lives, because we shared the beautiful life of Stephanie Renee Krider Vest!
My initial hesitation in writing a post was perhaps a survival mechanism. As I work through the grieving process, I have found comfort in looking forward rather than dwelling on the past. I love this blog and the wonderful friends who have supported our cause. Forgive my delay…it’s not that I didn’t want to communicate, or that I wasn’t appreciative of the support that you all offered through the blog. Basically, the fact that “thanks” didn’t seem like enough, caused the delay in saying anything at all. So, please don’t mistake it for being rude – certainly not my intention.
With all that said, I have made the decision to end the personal updates on the blog with this last post. There are many reasons for this. I would love to provide regular or even periodic updates on how the kids are doing etc., but leaving this as a possibility naturally allows people to set specific expectations as to how often that should occur. The purpose of the blog in the first place was to support Stephanie in her fight for life. In the interest of preserving those precious memories and with respect and dignity, closing this outlet seems like the best thing to do. I hope and pray that each of you will understand. We invite you to share our story with others and to return to this website to reflect on memories.
There will be some foundations for Stephanie set up in the near future. So we will be able to continue celebrating her life through these foundations as they benefit others.
We made efforts to have the service posted to share with those who were unable to attend…but technical difficulties prevented that. But we have included a link to one of the slideshows that was presented at Stephanie’s memorial. It was a beautiful slideshow created by Steph’s dear friend Janelle Ringgenberg. We hope it offers your peace and closure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvGZyQ6JQkk
One last time… Much LOVE to the prayer warriors! We BELIEVED IN and SAW many MIRACLES!!! I will always treasure the thousands of comments shared on this blog – absolutely incredible!
Always praying, and wishing the best, for all of you.
Make it a great day!
Eric
