Four too long

July 19th, 2006 (four years ago), my husband (whom I didn't know at the time) woke up and started his day as normal. I am sure that if he had known how the day was going to unfold, he would have tried every way possible to make it never even exist.

Fast forward to April 2007. This is the first photo quilt I ever made:

It is a quilt of Jerry's(my now husband) kids. On July 19th, 2006, Jerry's then wife waited for him to leave for work, then chose to take their kids and go to another state. Unfortunately, this is America, where moms can do that. I will not get into details, as this is the world wide web where all eyes are watching. But, I will tell you this...a lot of false charges were made against Jerry so that SHE (the ex) could have time to flee the state. Jerry was cleared of all charges and used up every dollar he had to try to get his children back. He literally sold everything. His books, tools, vehicle...all gone. All to no avail. He has not had any contact with his children in four years. NONE.

Fast forward to today. July 18, 2010.

Jerry and I are married and have our cute little baby, Stephen. But, days like today are tough. Every new thing that Stephen learns is a reminder to Jerry of things that he is missing in his other kids' life. My son Seth is the same age as Jerry's son "S". (I won't state his full name, but it too begins with 's'). So, when Jerry looks at Seth, he hurts for "S".

"S" turns 13 this week. Jerry wants so bad to be a dad to his now teenage son, and it tears him up inside. But one thing is for certain. Although it is hard, Jerry keeps this verse in mind on a daily basis. It is written on the top of his quilt:

Without faith in Christ, Jerry would have no hope. As it is, at least he knows that God has those precious children in His hands. And although the kids are now four years older, their lovely smiles are frozen in time to him:

Today, please, hug your children a little tighter, and say a prayer for my husband. It's going to be a tough week. I would love to see him with his children again.

In close, do you remember the story of Dawg, our beloved Dog?  You can read about it HERE.

My good friend, Pat is a wonderful artist. She did a watercolor painting of Dawg. See the progress HERE.

The painting is now all framed an hanging proudly on the wall:

The photo is a bit fuzzy but the finished painting has a nice chocolate brown matte and is a barn wood frame--which really fits Dawg's personality. It looks nice doesn't it?