11th Anniversary of Micah's Homegoing

Today marks the 11^th anniversary of Micah’s sudden death on July 27, 2009.  Without a doubt, we miss Micah’s presence with our family.  We wonder how each of Owen, Brendan and Kinsley would have benefitted from having an older brother.  Both our kitchen table and our dining room table have room for six, and so we are always sitting with that one empty chair—a thrice daily reminder of the weight of the loss we have endured. 

On this 11^th anniversary of Micah’s unexpected death, Heather and I have also felt the weight of the continued outpouring of the love and support from our family and friends.  We marvel at the time and personal expense absorbed by those who have taken the time to write, call or meet us in order to support us in our grief.  We are amazed at the generosity of friends and even acquaintances who have given so generously to Hope for the Mourning so that the ministry can reach out to fellow grieving parents.  We glad to report that our work days were very unproductive by reason of all the emails, texts and calls we received. 

Again on this anniversary, we thank the Lord again for these fellow grieving couples who showed us God’s love, even through their own brokenness in grief.  To paraphrase and apply the words of encouragement from Paul in 2 Corinthians 4, our friends are, in their sacrifices to us, “carrying in their bodies the death of Jesus,” so that the life of Jesus might be displayed in the lives of Cory and Heather Wessman.” 2 Corinthians 4: 11.  These friends have taken it upon themselves to absorb a cost of some kind on our behalf, whether emotional, physical, time or financial, so that we can be encouraged.  It is our prayer that, in some small way, we can take on that same “death” in our own bodies. 

Earlier today, about fifty of our friends showed us this sacrifice in very tangible terms.  Beginning at 5:30 am this morning, we conducted our third annual “Hills for Hope” challenge.  Each of the participants agreed (yes, of their own free choice!) to complete an obstacle course that entailed:

1.       Running straight up the “Bigfoot” Ski Run at Hyland Hills ski area, then back down;

2.       Completing 10 burpees, 20 pushups and 30 situps;

3.       Repeating 1 and 2 as many times as possible (one “loop”) over 90 minutes!

The participants pledged a “poor loop” pledge.  With a total of 334.5 loops completed, our team was able to raise $12,919 for Hope for the Mourning!

These friends quite literally carried pain and weakness in their bodies for 90 minutes (well, and for an indeterminate number of days following today’s event) in order to allow the life of Jesus to be displayed in others. Just as others have used their own sufferings to bless us in our own grief journey, these friends suffered in a physical and financial sense, in order to encourage us and others.  Thanks, friends, for carrying the cost in our bodies, in order that we might experience the love of Christ in our own lives, and pass along that love to others through Hope for the Mourning.