My Adria

Hello family and friends. I don't really know what to say. My heart is so full of emotions lately. I guess first I want to thank everyone for their generousity, faith, prayers and kind words. Our family has been overwhelmed by the extent of kindness we have received during the last few weeks.

Many people have asked how we are doing. Surprisingly, we are doing alright. Our hearts ache for the loss of Adria, but the Lord has truly poured his Spirit down on us. I believe that the hardest times are still to come as we adjust to life without Adria. She was always so energetic, happy and alive. Our lives are much quieter without her. I miss her sweet voice, her curly hair and her infectious laughter. There are times when I find myself crying so hard that I can hardly catch my breath. It hurts more than I can express. My arms ache to hold my baby. Sometimes I turn to the picture of her next to my bed and just talk to her. Other times I plead with the Lord for comfort. I miss her.

I do want everyone to know that Ben, Julia and I have a testimony of life after death. We know that Adria lives on, still as happy and energetic as ever. When Julia's cousin first came up to her after the accident, she gave Julia a big hug and said she was sorry that Adria was dead. Julia looked surprised and replied, "Adria isn't dead, she's living with Jesus." I know this to be true. While she has laid down her body, our Adria that we all know and love still lives on. We miss her terribly, but we will see her again. I know that families are eternal. I'm so grateful that Ben and I were sealed together for this life and for all eternity so that no matter where she is, Adria is still our daughter.

I guess I should note that I am doing much better. I've been out of the hospital for 6 days now. The doctors believe that in time I will make a full recovery. Many of you have asked what happened to me. It's a long list. I have 7 broken ribs, some broken in several places. One of these punctured my right lung and caused it to collapse. My L5 vertibre was broken and so I am now in a large brace. My knee seperated at the tibia plateau so the doctors had to do surgery and reattach my lower leg. I have a few screws and metal plates now. My leg will be fully immobilized as it heals. I also have some more minor injuries. My right shoulder blade is fractured, the liver was bruised and had a few small lacerations. My abdominal wall seperated from something (ok, I forgot) and I have lost my voice. It's been over a week now and I would really like my voice back! The doctors are hopeful that by the first week of November I should be able to remove the leg and back braces and start back to a normal life. In the meantime, my sweet family is letting me and the girls stay with them to recover.

I know this is a long post, so I will post about the funeral later. Thank you all again for your faith and support. Please keep us in your prayers as we still have some rough days ahead. Any memories you want to share with us of Adria would be most appreciated. We want to compile a book of memories for Julia and Kara to have as they grow older and forget as children do.

All our love,
Ben and Tricia