Friday, March 20, 2009

Awesomeness, Baby!

Well, some of you already know that I have an older brother, David, who died before I was born. He died because he needed a liver transplant and he did not get it in time. Now, I don't usually like to talk about him because it's one of the things that makes me kind of frustrated in my faith. I know that if he did not die, C.O.T.A., (Children's Organ Transplant Association) an organization that was started with the money that was raised for him and which has helped 1300 children live that otherwise would have died, would never have been started. The selfish part of me though is annoyed that I never got the chance to actually meet him. I often wonder about him, what he'd be like and if we'd get along or fight constantly. Anyway, I don't normally do this, but today after my stressful and emotional week, I decided to go visit his grave. So, after stations of the cross and the soup supper I got in my car and headed out to his grave where I stayed for maybe 10 minutes and kinda talked to him about my life...it sounds kinda silly to some I'm sure, but for some reason I felt like I needed to visit him there. My parents have always told me that his favorite song was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." He had a little music box with that song that was kept in his room. I know for a fact that right before my brother died, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" started playing in his room, and so that song has become a very special song in our family. Somehow on each of our birthdays or my parents anniversary that song ends up playing, whether it's because "The Wizard of Oz" is playing on tv and we happen to flip it on when she is singing that song, or it plays over a commercial or someone randomly starts singing it, it always happens. The reason I started talking about that song is because tonight after I decided to visit his grave, I'm sitting here watching "Australia" and what song happens to be placed in that movie but Judy Garland's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." My mouth literally dropped wide open and I just sat there and was in complete shock. It's times like this when I fully believe there is a God and heaven where our loved ones are really watching over us. Talk about AWESOMENESS!!!!

6 comments:

Jenny said...

Teresa, i actually find tons of peace sitting by a grave stone of people no longer with us, sometimes when i'm home i'll go to my father's grave stone or my good friend who died and just sit, maybe talk, soemtimes cry and it's just really amazing but i definiely know what you mean and thats absolutely incredible. I don't have anything that phenomenal as often but very cool :)

Teresa said...

Jenny:

I really was not at all expecting that to happen at all last night. In fact, I was not really planning on watching "Australia" last night either. Crista just kept bugging me to take her to rent it to watch. It's just one of those things that lets me know that when I do talk to God or other close people up in heaven, they really are listening. I'm not just talking to air, if you know what I mean.

Mike Keucher said...

That's not silly at all. You've got a brother up in heaven praying for you!

Mike

Suzanne said...

She sure does and she's not taking that for granted, apparently!
That makes his life, suffering and death have meaning...that is what we all need to think with in regards to Christ too...very much so.
Thanks for going there Teresa to talk with your little/big brother..
it made me so happy to know that you are treating him as if he is still here with us and he is ...the soul of a saint is still very much alive...life eternal! Amen Love, Mom :)

Teresa said...

Mom:
I always wonder if Crista and Shane think about him like I do sometimes... It's one of those things we (as in Crista, Shane, and I) don't really talk too much about.

Suzanne said...

Maybe you ought to...discuss him together and or separately with each one sometime. It couldn't hurt probably. Hope not..hope that helps.
I mean I have talked about it all over the years...I know that Crista's eyes have welled up with tears a time or two when I have talked with her...she is sweetly sensitive in her heart about it all, I believe. Shane...very quiet..in fact totally quiet. I hope he understood why we named him after David. We thought he'd feel good that at least he had had a brother...was never meant to compare or any such thing like that. Interesting question you have here.