in times like these...

This past week has felt like a whirlwind of bad dreams.

On June 30th, 2008, I lost my (step) father-in-law.

Steve Alexander was driving to work (which happens to always be around 2 o'clock in the morning) and fell asleep at the wheel and died in a tragic accident.

He was a good man, a funny, loving, simple, respected, and faithful man. He loved the Lord, his family, and all those that he met. He worked hard to provide for his family, accepted my husband and his sister as his kids for the past 21 years, and treated Aaron (Melissa's husband) and me as his children as well. He enjoyed the life he had, and always made us laugh.

I know that he is up in heaven fishing with Jesus. I know that he no longer feels pain from his health issues. But even knowing all of this, doesn't take the pain that his absence leaves this family. My mother-in-law, Marmie, is hurting. Her soul mate is no longer by her side.

Please keep us in your prayers. This is a difficult time for everyone, but unfortunately we are dealing with the aftermath of Steve's death. He didn't have a will or a life insurance policy, and he had lots of "good" debt (house and auto). His drug addicted daughter from his 1st marriage stole his bank card the day he died and has now stolen more than $500 of money that was desperately needed to cover the funeral expenses and keep Marmie afloat. The next several months and possibly even the next year will be incredibly difficult for everyone, but as my sister-in-law Melissa said, "that's what faith is. Not knowing how we are going to make it through all of this, but trusting the Lord to provide for us all, no matter how impossible to situation may seem."

So that is where I am today. Life seemed pretty impossible yesterday, but today I'm hopeful. God never gives us more than we can handle, and I am fully trusting my life to Him.