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| Tate, Jennifer, Ryder, Choice, Shiloh, Juliann, Linda, and Paul |
We awoke to a beautiful day in Indiana. Shiloh had just received roller skates similar to Tate's, so she was begging to find a place to ride around. We found a huge park that was perfect for the kids to run and play before we began the scheduled part of our day.
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| Choice and Ryder |
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| Choice and Ryder |
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| Shiloh and Tate |
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| Shiloh and Tate |
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| Shiloh and Tate |
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| Shiloh and Tate |
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| Tate and Shiloh |
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| Tate and Shiloh |
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| Juliann and Tate |
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| Juliann and Tate |
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| Juliann and Shiloh |
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Tate, and Choice |
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| Choice, Rusty, Ryder, Shiloh and Tate |
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| Rusty |
We spent a good two hours playing before we climbed aboard the bus and made our way to our visit in Lafayette.
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| Rusty |
Jason was feeling generous, and a bit wild, allowing Choice and Tate to take the wheel for a portion of the drive. I am happy to report that despite these reckless actions, we made it to our destination safely. :-)
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| Jason and Choice |
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| Jason and Tate |
We let Rusty out for a moment when we arrived at our visit only to witness her going totally crazy. The kids and Jason made up a song for her titled "Wild Dog" and she was certainly living up to those words. For that reason, we left her on the bus for the remainder of the visit.
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| Rusty and Shiloh |
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| Shiloh and Rusty |
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| Shiloh, Rusty, and Tate |
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| Ryder, Rusty, and Choice |
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| Ryder and Rusty |
From the onset of our visit, we were encircled with loving kindness and welcoming hospitality. Sweet Linda and Paul had placed signs on their doors and a banner on their garage welcoming us to their home.
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| Choice, Shiloh, Ryder, and Tate |
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| Choice, Shiloh, Ryder, Tate, and Juliann |
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| Choice, Shiloh, Ryder, Tate, and Juliann |
I need to mention that they had just arrived home extremely late last night from a trip out of the country. Despite jet lag and all of the aftermath that is required following a large trip, they allowed us to come by and spend part of their day with them. They were so selfless and wonderful.
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| Paul, Ryder, Linda, Juliann, Tate, Shiloh, and Choice |
The kids were about as patient today as Rusty was calm. They didn't even get past the front entry way before ripping the be better bands and cards out of the bag to give to Linda and Paul. It was Choice and Tate this time who explained what the bands stand for. This was a first! Although the message was difficult to understand, it was beautiful for me to see the way they've blossomed throughout this journey and grasped more and more onto the purpose of this endeavor. Linda, being a former elementary school teacher, understood the little boys far better than most would have been able to do.
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| Linda, Shiloh, Tate, and Juliann |
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| Linda and Choice |
We sat in the living room and spent time visiting and sharing stories with each other. The kids were able to sit with Linda and Paul and more thoroughly explain the cards they'd created for them.
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| Choice, Juliann, Tate, Linda, and Shiloh |
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| Juliann, Tate, Linda, and Shiloh |
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| Shiloh, Juliann, and Linda |
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| Ryder and Linda |
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| Linda, Tate, and Juliann |
Choice made himself right at home. I turned my eye for just a moment to see that he had begun doing somersaults along the living room carpet.
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| Choice, Tate, Juliann, and Linda |
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| Choice, Tate, Juliann, and Linda |
Neither Linda nor Paul seemed to mind. In fact, they assured me that they enjoyed the youthful energy in their home as they do not have any grandchildren and their girls are both grown. We were blessed to meet their daughter, Jennifer, today as well. What a beautiful and delightful woman. She is an artist, like her father. Jennifer expresses herself through graphic design while Paul uses his artistry to create one of a kind portraits. As a matter of fact, this talent of Paul's is what brought us to their home today.
Immediately following the tragedy, Paul was moved to draw a portrait of each of the men on the Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew who lost their lives in Yarnell. I remember vividly the day that I received the portrait he'd drawn of Andrew. I was moved to tears by the realism he'd captured of my dear husband. It was as if I was staring into the eyes of the man whom I love and lost. I never thought I'd see that radiant smile again in this lifetime, and for a brief moment, it was as if I'd been given that chance.
It was touching to see a man with his phenomenal artistic abilities compliment the pictures the children had drawn for he and Linda. Ryder worked very hard on his picture and Paul made him feel like an up-and-coming Rembrandt.
I learned this first hand today as she and Jennifer put together a beautiful spread for lunch. They fed us like royalty while we continued our conversation around their dining room table.
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| Choice and Tate |
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| Shiloh, Tate, and Choice |
About the time we discovered the kids in a crawl space with handfuls of candy wrappers, the remnants of the treats they'd secretly taken out of the kitchen, we knew it was time to go.
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| Ryder, Choice, Tate, and Shiloh |
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| Tate, Jennifer, Ryder, Choice, Shiloh, Juliann, Linda, and Paul |
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| Tate, Jennifer, Ryder, Choice, Shiloh, Juliann, Linda, and Paul |
Paul has been given a gift by God. His beautiful masterpieces capture the essence of the individual whom he's drawing. Below is his information for those interested in his beautiful work.
Paul is extraordinary, not only in his talent but in his desire to utilize that gift to bless the lives of others. In his own words, see why he felt motivated to reach out to us...
Paul gave us the gift of seeing these honorable and courageous men once more. Please take a moment to remember each of these heroes; these friends, husbands, fathers, and sons. These are the Granite Mountain Hotshots...may they never be forgotten.
ESSE QUAM VIDERI
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