Two Stoney Acres: In Memory - Jennifer Hartman Guisewhite

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As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts, too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin. ~anonymous

Saturday, March 5, 2011

In Memory - Jennifer Hartman Guisewhite

On Sunday, February 27th, 2011, my cousin, Jennifer, died suddenly. She was 35 years old and left behind three young children - Mackenzie (12 yrs), Franchesca (8 yrs), and Josephine (6 yrs). It has been a tough, tough week, and we've prayed for strength and guidance every day. Last evening, we went to her visitation and today was her funeral. I have never seen my aunt cry like she did today. It was heartbreaking. After the funeral, we went to my grandmother's grave to place roses from some of Jennifer's flowers. We said a prayer asking the Lord to help us remember His words from 1 Corinthians 2:9 -

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived what God has prepared
for those who love Him.

Jennifer's adult life has always been shrouded in turmoil. And so is her death. But there are lessons we can take away from her short life. Number one: who you marry is the most important decision you'll ever make. Make sure it's someone who loves and cares for you through good times and bad. Make sure it's someone you'll love and support through those same good and bad times. And number two: pray for strength and guidance daily. Let the Lord lead rather than trying to manipulate life to suit yourself.

Tomorrow, her parents, sister and daughters begin the long journey of putting their lives back together. I pray that we all will have closure and find peace about her passing. And I pray that some good will come from this tragic loss.

4 comments:

NancyMarch 6, 2011 at 7:10 AM
Oh no, Anita! I am so sorry to hear about this tragic loss. So young! I'll be praying for you and your family.
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AnitaMarch 7, 2011 at 8:07 AM
Thank you, Nancy. The prayers of friends help hold us up during these difficult times.
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McKaskle FamilyMay 22, 2011 at 5:12 PM
So sad. I was friends with Jennifer when we attended Misericordia and just recently reconnected. I am heartbroken to hear of her passing.

Stephanie Traver McKaskle
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AnitaMay 22, 2011 at 9:48 PM
Stephanie - Thank you for the words of sympathy. They lift us up during this long journey.
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Motivation

Don't think of retiring from the world until the world will be sorry that you retire. I hate a fellow whom pride or cowardice or laziness drives into a corner, who does nothing when he is there but sit and growl. Let him come out as I do, and bark.
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

In the end, we decide if we're remembered for what happened to us or for what we did with it.
Randy K. Milholland

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work. You don't give up.
Anne Lamont

Inspiration

I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time. ~ Anna Freud (1895 - 1982)

A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him. ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Advice to young women from Nancy and Ann Wilson, of the rock group Heart (as printed in the 09/19/10 Parade magazine):
Nancy: There's a great deal of pressure on young women to portray a hyper-sexualized image.
Ann: And I think they get told that if they do that they're going to be successful. When, in actuality, if they look like pole dancers, all they do is make themselves more disposable. So be true to yourself.