1 year anniversaries this weekend

This Friday, I will remember my friend Lisa Hardel.  On the afternoon of February 9, 2006 she lost her battle with leukemia.  The loss of Lisa is huge.  She was one of my best friends & I will never forget the mark she left on my life.  Although she lived in Shreveport & we couldn't visit in person much, her daily emails and phone calls are something I will always treasure.  Her family is pictured above.  This photo was taken a couple of months prior to her death.  Jerry & kids---I'm praying for you this week!
Also this weekend, we will remember the loss of Andrew & Kourtney's mom, Kelly Reeves.  She died about 18 hours after Lisa on February 10, 2006.  Kelly's death was just as tragic as Lisa's---a life lost so early & young.  Kelly died from the injuries she sustained in a drunk driving accident.  Kelly's loss is great as well.  She left behind a husband of 5 (?) years (G) and two children, Andrew 8 & Kourtney 6.  On Saturday, after Samuel's basketball game, we will travel to Elkhart to remember Kelly.  We're going to the graveside to release balloons with messages to her attached, then we will go to the wreck site & place a white cross.  The kids are looking forward to this.
Sadly, as the day of Kelly's death anniversary draws near, it's more obvious that Kourtney mourns her loss and Andrew still struggles with recognizing that there is a loss.  He will tell you he misses his mom if you ask him about her, but more times than not, he acts like it's just another silly question you're asking.  When I reminded him last week that the 1 yr. anniversary was coming up, he asked if we were going to have a party to celebrate.  I'm sure he meant more along the lines of a memorial than a "celebration", but it was sort of an odd thing to ask still.  He asked if we'd have cake & balloons.  It just took me by surprise for him to ask that.  Please continue to pray for healing of their loss.