June 24, 1998 – The day I met my husband.
March 16, 2006 – The day my oldest child was born.
September 25, 2007 – The day my grandfather died.
June 16, 2011 – The day Maple Tree was born.
There are certain dates in my life that stand out from all the others.
Chances are, they started out like any other day. But then something happened. And before I knew it, my life was changed forever.
August 4, 2019 is a day like this. It is a day that all of us at Maple Tree will never forget.
This was the day of a mass shooting in Dayton. A day where three of our trainers were shot.
A day where we had to say goodbye to one of them.
The 12 months that have passed since then have been a whirlwind. In many ways, it feels like we continue to get hit from every angle. Relentlessly. There are days where it almost feels like it’s hard to catch our breath.
And we aren’t alone. I’d be willing to bet that most people in the country are feeling this way.
COVID. Protests. Riots. Coin shortages. Unemployment. Sports seasons cancelled. Online school. Face masks. Flooding. Wild fires. Quarantine. Social distancing.
There is pressure on every side. And there are days, like today, where I’m feeling it.
In some ways, it seems like so much has changed since August 4, 2019. But at the same time, I am still struggling with the same emotions.
Fear.
I’ll be honest with you. Lately, I have been feeling fearful. I am fearful about what I see when I turn on the news. I am fearful about my kids going back to school. I am fearful about my kids not going back to school.
Maybe you can relate?
This is why today I want to share with you the blog post I wrote in the days following Nick’s death. Although the situation behind the fear might look a little different today than it did a year ago, I still believe that the Truths are the same. I pray it encourages you today.
https://www.mapletreecanceralliance.org/choosing-faith-over-fear/