Bittersweet Birthday

Yesterday Allison would have been 11-years-old. Someone asked me if after 11 years, this day was any easier. I had to think about that a moment. Easy isn't the right word to use. There is nothing easy about a birthday that will never be for your daughter. So I choose the word different. Each year that goes by is just different. Every year that passes a new bandaid is placed over a broken heart that slowly over the years the cracks in it have changed. I will never stop wishing that April 29th could be a day for celebration, and there will never be a day that goes by that I don't wish she was here, but I know for some reason this is the path God chose for us, and that is something we can't change.

So happy 11th birthday Allison Grace. I know this is a very special birthday for you because this year NaNa is there for your party. And for me, that makes this the most bittersweet birthday yet.

Remembering Japan -- Two Years Later

Today my heart is heavy. I have been laying in bed for almost 2 hours (it is the middle of the night here in Japan) and I can't stop thinking about the people up North and the anniversary of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake.  I am sure many of you have seen pictures of the rebuilding that has happened over the past two years. Wrecked cars and debris have been taken away. Roads have been cleared. The airport has long ago reopened. Buildings have been repaired and some have even been rebuilt. The Fukushima nuclear plant has been contained. Amazing work has happened.

What lays on my heart at 3:21 am, is their hearts. Even two years later, aftershocks occur. Some of them large. Who comforts them each time the ground shakes beneath their feet? Do they close their eyes at night and relive the horror of watching the water come and take away everything they have ever known?  People lost friends. People lost family members. Some people lost both. Have they found peace? What about the children who ran screaming as they were rushed to get to higher ground?

I was blessed to have been able to go to the Tohoku region two different times to help in the relief efforts. The first time was three weeks after the earthquake and the second was 2.5 months after the earthquake. I went on these trips hoping that I would be able to do something, however small, for these people suffering such a tragedy. What happened, was I walked away with more than what I probably ever gave back.

So today, March 11, take a few moments in your busy day to think and pray for the people in Japan who are still haunted by what happened at 2:46 pm on that day. And then take a few more moments to hug your children, call someone you may not have talked to in a while, tell someone you love them, cuddle with your pet on the couch. In a heartbeat, it could all be gone.

A View from and Elephant's Back

The one thing the kids wanted to do while in Thailand was ride an elephant. So on the third day we drove almost 2 hours outside of the city and went on an elephant ride. I think it is something the kids will remember for the rest of their lives. I mean, who could forget sitting on the back of an elephant, walking through a jungle in Thailand?



Matt, Chris and Sami went on the elephant ahead of us. So many of the pictures I have taken are from behind.


One of the neatest parts of the ride was walking through a small creek while on the elephants.

There were lots of pretty trees, flowers and other vegetation to see.

If you look real close you will even see a few monkeys in this picture. And yes, they are wearing shirts. Strange, I know. Imagine seeing a monkey running around wearing clothes in the jungle.



We did manage to get a few pictures of us front the front. And even a shot or two of Emily and myself.




Afterwards the kids were able to feed the elephants some bananas. Just a small treat for not throwing us off.

You can see many more pictures here. Just keep in mind it is hard to take decent pictures from atop a moving elephant.

Taking a moment to remember 4 years ago

I remember sitting at my parents house on Christmas night '04 watching the shocking breaking news coming in from Asia. On Dec. 26, 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3 (the second largest ever recorded) had struck out in sea off the coast of Indonesia, triggering a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean and killing more than 225,000 people.

These tsunamis hit in eleven countries and inundated coastal communities with waves up to 100 feet high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, hitting Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand the hardest.

This past April Matt and I visited Phuket, Thailand, one of the areas hit hard in 2004. I remember standing looking down this street, unable to even fathom the devastation only 3.5 years earlier.


We visited a memorial, remembering those affected by this horrible tragedy.



Whole villages (similar to this one) were wiped out after waves flooded and destroyed the area.


After 2004, many areas placed tsunami warning systems and evacuation signs.




Below are a few pictures from online just days after the tsunami. Today take a few moments to remember the over 225,000 people who lost their lives and the thousands of others who lost their homes, loved ones or were otherwise affected.