Update of where we are

I've had several aborted attempts to blog the past few days. It's been hard to write about Kristen. Right now it brings up too much emotion. Reality set in hard yesterday as her stone is now in place. Devin and I chose a bench so that her friends can come and sit and talk to her. I like to go out there myself. We all know that she's not there but the symbolism can be strong. So she finally got her tiger lily tattoo. We had it engraved on her stone.

Devin, Steven and I are doing okay. We are on a roller coaster ride of emotions. We remain strong together as a couple and a family. We are prepared for the fact that our grief takes different forms but we all miss her. As days become weeks, weeks become months, we all still wish we could hear her laugh or see her smile. As a mom, I yearn to hold her in my arms. We are doing our best to move forward. It's a slow process, but we are confident that God will see us through.

Please continue to lift our family up in prayer. Specifically pray for God to be with us as we move through the next year of firsts. The first Thanksgiving without her, the first Christmas, etc. Pray that we can acknowledge the hole in our lives without letting it suck us under. Pray that we feel HIS presence and allow it to bring us comfort.

Finally, please continue to support cancer research. Spread the word. Tell our story. Talk about giving to cancer research. Talk about the importance of signing up for Be the Match, especially among minorities and mixed race families. Give blood. YOU can make a difference. Do not let Kristen's battle just become a memory, allow it to be an inspiration to further awareness of this terrible disease.