Remembering Macie Elizabeth

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Golf Tournament

We want to say "thank you" to everyone who attended the 2nd Annual Macie Memorial Golf Tournament and to everyone who brought desserts and auction items. The weather was beautiful, the food was great, and the time with family and friends was a blessing. All the money raised went directly to African Vision of Hope www.africanvisionofhope.org. We felt this would be a good way to honor Macie. She had such a heart for these children, and my other kids do too. Jordan is already asking when he can be Missionary so he can go to Zambia and help the children. Judi Bertels presented us with a beautiful quilt that has the precious hand prints of the children from one of their schools. My children think this is the greatest treasure. Not only do we have an item from Africa, they have a visible reminder of the children we can help.

Friday, September 17, 2010

2^nd Annual Macie Crow

Memorial Golf Tournament

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Oakbrook Golf Club

9157 Fruit Rd, Edwardsville, IL 62025

(618) 656-5600

FOUR MAN SCRAMBLE

8:00 AM SHOTGUN START

(Registration starts @ 7:00 am)

$70 per golfer or $280 per team

(all proceeds will be given to African Vision of Hope)

www.africanvisionofhope.org

Food and soft drinks provided !

Door prizes ! Skins Game ! Longest Drive ! Closest to the hole and much, much more !

Contacts : Ryan Crow (618) 447-8662

Steven Crow (618) 795-1966

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Why?

There is another couple from our church who is burying their child this week. I had no words of wisdom or comfort for them...all I can say to myself is WHY? I know God is sovereign and works all things for good for those that love Him, but why can't He give His children some answers when they need them? I remember how small Macie's casket was, but this casket was so much smaller. I looked at it and thanked God that I was able to watch Macie grow, at least for a while. Why do these parents have to bury their son, yet there are babies born to drug addicts that survive? Why do people struggle with infertility, yet over 4,000 babies a day are aborted. Why did my daughter die when we were always so protective. For crying out loud, I didn't even let my kids eat foods with high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, or sodium nitrites. I always knew where they were. They weren't allowed to ride their bikes around the neighborhood, or walk home from the bus stop (which I only allowed Jordan to ride home once a week). So why did my daughter die when there are so many parents that could care less where their kids are??? My daughter was killed playing in her back yard with her brother. Where's the justice in that? What did these parents do to deserve their heartache? Whenever I get on this rampage, I feel a strong conviction and realize that nothing in life is fair.

Is it fair that I have a happy marriage, while our friends are getting divorced? Why was I able to conceive 4 healthy children without ever trying, yet my sister-in-law can't conceive one? Why do we have loving families around us to help us through our grief, yet there are orphans without a home? Why do we always have plenty to eat when much of the world goes hungry? Absolutely nothing in this life is fair. It's also not fair that Jesus had to die for our sins, but he did. One day our questions will be answered, but until then, I believe God can handle our "whys."

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Waiting....

There is a song called While I'm Waiting that my kids and I really like. It reminds us of our daily walk. I feel like we are constantly waiting on something. We wait for answers, we wait for signs, we wait for healing, and most of all we wait for Jesus to return so we can all be reunited again. The thought of Christ coming back soon and our world forever changing as we know it causes many to become anxious and tremble. Not our family! We are so ready for our eternal lives. Life is so much easier to handle when you have an eternal perspective. We are always reminding ourselves that this is not our home...we are only passing through.

Lyrics to While I'm Waiting :

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Friday, August 13, 2010

Macie's 9th Birthday

Tuesday, August 10th was Macie's 9th birthday. We went to the cemetery with the family to release balloons again, and then to my parent's house to swim. Macie enjoyed having her birthday party at their house so she could hang out in the pool. We've decided to keep that tradition alive. I keep wondering how tall she would be, what her hair would look like, what gymnastics level she would be in....I will always wonder about these things. I see some of her old friends growing up, and all I have are memories of Macie as a 7 year old. We miss her so much! I can't believe two birthday's have already passed.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Getting stronger

I was doing some push-ups the other day, and realized I was able to do more reps than before. I was a little sore the next day, but I like the burn because I know it is working to strengthen my arms. Without stress and pain, the muscles never grow. The muscles must first be torn. Then with time and the proper nutrition, the muscle repairs itself and adds additional tissue along the way. This made me think about my own cardiac muscles-my HEART. The heart cannot grow if it has never felt pain. I know that with enough time and Jesus (He who is able to supply all my needs), my heart will also grow stronger. I have to trust God with my pain, and let Him use it for good in my life.

Isaiah 61:3
God will provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Macie's Garden

Macie would be so excited to know that her memorial garden won the Green Thumb Award!!! Building that garden was the best therapy for our family last year, and it has brought a lot of beauty to our yard.

All about Macie

Macie and her brother, Jordan, (pictured above) were the best of friends. They loved to play outdoors and get as dirty as they could. They enjoyed being "archaeologists." In fact, that is what they were doing during the tragic accident that took her life. Her younger sister, Kaylee (also pictured above) was one of Macie's biggest admirers. They were also the best of friends. Macie's siblings were not just brothers and a sister to her, they were her buddies. Macie is the 2nd born of 4 children. pictured below from left to right are Jordan, Carter, Kaylee, Macie

Macie always wanted to be the best and first for everything. She never had to take a spelling test because she would always ace her pre-test every week in school. She was my child that learned to crawl the earliest, walk and talk the earliest. She was the first to learn how to swing by herself and read. She was also very competitive and loved to race and wrestle her brother. He would never admit it, but she usually won. She also wanted to loose more teeth than her brother (which she succeeded in). If she had a tooth that barely wobbled, she would work on it continuously and yank it out before it was even ready to come out. This helps explain why she spent her last year without any front teeth! Everyone tells me that they will miss her "toothless grin that could light up a room!" We joke (not that is anything funny) and say that she also had to be the first to go to Heaven. She wanted to beat us there so when we arrive she can show us around laughing saying, "I won." In a weird way, she did win. She is experiencing a place beyond our wildest dreams. Although her life was cut short, anything she would miss experiencing down here can't even compare to the glory she is experiencing in Heaven with Jesus! We are the ones suffering a terrible loss and will miss her the rest of our lives!

Macie was a dare-devil. She loved amusement parks and would ride anything she was tall enough for. I will never forget last summer on the Highland Fling at Six Flags. She was yelling, "my head hates it, but I love it!!!!" I think we rode that ride 3 times in a row. She also rode the Screaming Eagle when she was only 5. Her lack of fear is what made her excel at gymnastics. She started her first gymnastics class shortly after her 6th birthday and could barely do a cartwheel, but within 6 months she was doing round-off, back-handsprings by herself. By her 7th birthday she was on the Shooting Stars gymnastics team at the local YMCA. She absolutely LOVED gymnastics and I am going to miss her smiling face bouncing around the gym floor. She was so cute to watch and she was always eager to learn new tricks. I can just see her now in Heaven telling everyone to "watch this, watch me!" I bet she can finally do a back layout and twist that she always wanted to learn.