Still Touching Lives....which touches mine....

I mentioned in my last blog about some exciting things happening in Amanda's memory.  Well, here are the first two I can tell you about.  Right after Thanksgiving, I received the following text from a dear friend:


Hi Sandy, I hope you and your family enjoyed your Thanksgiving. We continue lifting your family up in our prayers and think of you often. I want to let you know that Rebecca and I submitted the R.O.C.K. as our beneficiary for her dance troupe annual benefit concert and it won! We will be dancing the weekend of Valentine's day and 100% of the proceeds will go to the ROCK. Your story touched and continues to touch so many lives and we are thrilled to be dancing for such an amazing organization. Thanks so much and again, we are so blessed to have the opportunity to help this place that meant so much to your family and so many others.

 

 I cannot encourage you enough to go support this amazing dance troupe raising money for ROCK.

I also received a text this past week from the women's Southwestern head basketball coach, who happens to not only be a Grace parent and friend, but she also has a daughter in Amanda's class.  She had another very touching story for me.  Here is her message:

At Southwestern University, I am the faculty advisor for a group of athletes called the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).  Earlier this year, we were in a contest with the other schools in our conference to raise money for a charity of our choice.  Each school picked a charity.  I shared the story of Amanda with the group and told them of the amazing impact ROCK has on people.  Some of our students have volunteered there and have seen the beautiful bench.  There were many good charities to choose from in and around the Georgetown area,but the SAAC chose ROCK and we raised a whopping $600!  We will be presenting them with a check at a home basketball game in the near future.  I pray that this money will help contribute to happiness and healing in so many ways!

I continue to be touched that people have followed our story and have invested in our journey in so many ways.  Our ROCK family will always hold a special place in our lives because of how much Amanda loved that place.  It helped her in more ways than I can even begin expressing.  To see the community supporting ROCK because of her story is amazing.  Her life might have been a short 11 years, but she lives on through the actions and generosity of those she touched.

I pray her life will continue to glorify God in the years to come.   I am forever grateful for the time we had with her.

I look forward to the day I will see her again.

And that simple statement gives me so much hope.....

Psalm 71:14-16
But I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.