"There are no Re Do's"

Those are the words I remember in a converstion I had with a very very close friend of mine a day or so after Jessi was called Home.

These words have resonated in my head since then. They are incredibly true. That goes for good times and bad. You can't Re Do either. So I think back as I write this how many things I would Re Do if given that option.......My mind draws a blank. I realiize there isn't anything I would want to Re Do in my life. Initially when Jessi passed, I, like most parents start to think of things I should maybe have done differently or maybe done more. But the truth is there really isn't any more Bud or I could do for Jessi. She had a Great Life! She got to go to many places and see and do many things. Even as a baby 17 days old we went to the Swamp Buggy Races in Naples Florida, she won some gift for being the youngest person at the event. Jessi went on 2 cruises before 3rd grade which included destinations such as Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico. She flew on a plane. Lived on an Island for 9 years and was born in Key West Florida, The Southern Most City in the United States. We traveled 2x a year back to the Florida Keys where we used to live. She went to the hills and hollers of Kentucky where a big part of her family is from to be a part of several family reunions. We spent a wonderful summer in 2009 at Myrtle Beach with my very fabulous brother and his family boogie boarding, swimming, playing board games and she even brought along her friend Ashley. Jess went skiing last January with the youth from church in North Carolina. This past summer she had the very best vacation ever in Panama City Beach with her best friend Hannah. We bowled, skated, camped, hiked, biked went horseback riding. You name it and Jess pretty much did it.

I look back on our timeline since Jessi's birth, I know that God has been directing us because in 2007 we decided to move to Georgia. For a few reasons. One, we wanted a simpler life and for Jess to experience more things. Little did we know at that time God was preparing us for this very time. I believe that with all my heart. He sure knew what He was doing. In the 5 years we have been in Georgia we have made a tremendous amount of friends and got in involved in a Vibrant Spirit Filled Church. I know are relocation was in preparation for Jessi's illness. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend the entire time with Jessi during her stays in the hospital, 4-6 week stays at a time, from June through November, 24 hours a day. Then, we where home between hospital stays we where always together. Valuable, priceless time. Not something you can Re Do. Especially now.

My sadness and grief now are for all the things Jess will miss. I see things everyday. Knowing the things she wanted to do and accomplish. That is a very hard thing to grasp. She had her heart set on a teacup chihauha and in October she was actively looking on the internet to find breeders. She had one all picked out. So, when I see chiahuahas , it saddens me that Jess wasnt able to fullfill that desire. She was wonderful with animals. Theres alot more things but I won't go on because I get a sad ache in my heart when I start to think about these things. I'm trying to teach myself to look at all the good and remember how Jessi just laughed about everything and did not take anything seriously. Her Dad always called her "Mikey" from the American Choppers show. She was definatley a Mikey. I smile now as I write this because that is a great memory....

But, back to Re Do's........If you could Re Do something in your life would you? Could you? If you can I suggest you not wait and do it. Escpecially if it is Re Do Able, and you have the opportunity, many things are not.

My life with Jessi is not Re Do Able. But I am learning to try and accept the fact the my life, and what's left of it, is Do Able....So much so that I will make this statment....

One of our band members from church, Billy Garrett, sings this song "I'll Go, I'll Do, I'll Be. The words go like this " I'll go where You want me to go, I'll do what You want me to do, I'll be what You want me to be, I'll Go I'll Do I'll Be. It's a song about God, and it's my song to God.

So God.......Here I am....Take me as You find me, my only way to get through life is with You, I'm asking You to use me for Your Glory. Guide me and lead me to do what it is you will have me do. I'm ready...........

And all the people said............ "Amen"