It has been a long time since I posted anything in the blog, and I suppose it is for good reason. It has been a while since I felt like sharing what is going on in our family. We continue to struggle daily as Brandee and I watch our children grow older without their brother there to help get them through the rough times. We remain strong for eachother, as that is what helps pull us through.
In 2 weeks we will be “celebrating” Derek’s 2-year Angelversary. It’s a sad celebration for us down here, but I know that up there he is happy. We get visits once in a while, signs that he is still among us. We have strange happenings in the house that we can’t explain, from strange noises, to objects not where they should have been at times. We catch glimpses of his glory and of the things he does up there, by all of the wonderful and kind Acts people continue to do in his name.
Next week starts the busiest month in our lives since Derek’s passing. We have 8 ex-MLB players that will be coming to Fennimore, to share a wonderful gift in Derek’s name, to the people of the area. I can recall as a child the Packers coming to play a basketball game, but that was a couple hours of exposure. These guys are coming for 3 days and we will be trying to show them how wonderful our community is as well. For a couple of these guys that are coming, the story of Derek will be new. We will get to share his spirit with them, and show them how his love and kindness has spread to so many. My hopes are that when the 3 days are done, that there are no complaints, the weather was great, and that everyone had a wonderful time. 2 men are responsible for making this happen: Mike Keith and Rob Deer.
As soon as this camp is done, we start 3 days of the Derek Lendosky Memorial Tournament. Mike Hunt and the Baseball Boosters were kind enough to rename the tournament last year as they offer scholarships now in his name with some of the proceeds from this tourney. This was the last tournament that Derek ever played in. He loved baseball. Lived it. Breathed it. On August 6th we will have the second annual Derek’s Day At The Ballpark where we will be joined by 370 people from this community and beyond, to celebrate his life once again and spread joy with Acts of Kindness at the park. It is a wonderful event surrounded by wonderful people. This year we will actually get to enjoy it. And finally, on Saturday the 8th, is the LutheRun 4 Derek. It’s quite the packed 2 weeks of activities celebrating his life and what people have done in his honor since.
We are no different than any other family who has suffered loss. I think what we have done is just try to honor the life that he had here on earth, and if in the process we help someone else along the way, then we know we have done good by Derek. Derek was a loving and caring child, and the things that he has done since he has left us are amazing. We miss him more every day, but know that one day we will be joined together. And until that day, we will continue to celebrate his kind and loving spirit here.
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