A Balancing Act

It's a fine line to walk ~ a balancing act.
One that requires much wisdom and grace.  Every single day.
We are so conscious of the fact that we need the Lord
each step of this journey.  Every single step.

We desire to honour the memory of our Austin

while continuing to live out our days here with our other three.
All four will always be our children ~ regardless of where they live.

Each one is precious.  None more than the other.

In the midst of sorrow and grief, it is all too easy to elevate the child 
who has entered eternity ~ put him precariously on a pedestal.

It can be a temptation to make him bigger than life while the others 
must live out their earthly lives here ~ before our very eyes.

When we pass through the veil, we will no longer struggle with sin.
In this body of death, it is an ever present battle ~ for all of us.
Austin has been called into eternity.  One day, we will be as well.
Until then, we must live.  And, at the same time,
we must remember.

We speak of Austin every single day.

In some way or another, we remember him ~ lovingly.

But, we also desire to remember our other children.
To speak to them and to listen.  To engage and encourage.

To nurture them in the midst of our grief.  To walk with them.

To enter into their lives as they live.  Day after day.

They are here and we love them, too.

We didn't know exactly how we would keep Austin's birthday.

This was the first one since he was called Home to Heaven.  It was a little tricky.

How does one honour the day when the one being
honoured is no longer living here in the flesh?  It can be challenging.

Howie's sister had a lovely suggestion ~

"Do something for each of the children in Austin's memory."

And that's exactly what we did.  It was perfect.

Birthdays are special.  The children are treated to out-of-the-ordinary

things when their birthday arrives.  It's a tradition around these here parts.

So, for Austin's day, we wanted to make it special ~ just like always.

We had our usual morning routines of breakfast and a quiet time in God's Word.

Then, we went on our beach walk, and stopped by Austin's grave on the way home.

The children tackled some of their school work, and delivered papers after lunch.

Late in the afternoon, we took the children out to purchase a little something 
specifically significant for each of them in honour of Austin.

He would have liked that.  We know he would.

Fraser was given some new sheet music for piano that he'd had his eye on.

Calvin found a photography magazine to help him learn new skills.

Emma was able to purchase some lip gloss ~ ever the princess at heart.

For dinner, we went out to White Spot and ordered burgers in honour of our son.

Once we were back home, and just prior to sending the children off to bed, 

we had our evening Bible reading time together.  Like bookends to the day.
We gave each of the children their very own copy of one of Austin's 
favourite books ~ complete with a personal note on the inside cover.

"Little Pilgrim's Progress" by Helen Taylor has been read many times
over the years in our family.  It's been a great blessing to our hearts.
Now, the children each have a copy of their own in memory of their big brother.
The Lord-willing, they will be able to take these books with them into their 
own families to read with their own children one day.

I cannot end this post without making mention of the fact
that on Austin's birthday, so many remembered us in so many ways.  

We were incredibly blessed by God's people through emails, 
texts, cards, and flowers, blog post comments, and telephone calls. 
We know that many were especially remembering us in prayer.
We wish to thank each one of you from the bottom of our hearts!  :)
It truly is a wonderful gift to belong to the Family of our Great God.

The Lord has encouraged our hearts through His people
and carried us through once again. He is eternally good and gracious.
May you also know His loving hand upon you as you walk with Him.
His ways are perfect.  He does all things well.  Always.

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Flowers in this post courtesy of a sweet friend in memory of our Austin ~
Thank you, my sweet friend!  :)