This week...
...I want share some thoughts on our recent shooting, some of the miracle back story. Be warned: There is a lot of reading.
Miracle #1- We looked into moving just after the beginning of the year. There are several factors that entice us to want to move, the foremost being to move into the county in which Jason works. It would be nice to vote for things that affect his office directly. We started looking at different builders in the spring. We looked at quite a few different options, quite a few different builders, and quite a few different model homes. It just didn't seem to be working out. We prayed. We talked about it. A LOT. We fasted and prayed some more. We finally sat down to review our finances and decided that it would be best if we stayed in our current house. We both felt good about our decision and we prayed for confirmation. Yep, we're staying. That was the 24th of June. Two weeks later the shooting happened. It was very clear to us that the reason it didn't work out for us to move is that we were supposed to stay. Jason was supposed to be here that fateful July 9th.
Miracle #2-About six years ago, Jason took his first Law Enforcement (LE) job with Adams County. We were so excited. The first couple years were a little rough because of the fear of not having a job. Even while he was in the academy, his agency told him to start looking for other LE jobs because they didn't know if they'd have the budget to keep him on. That was a shock. Getting jobs in LE takes a long time. You have the initial test and paperwork-then you wait. You get an oral board-then you wait. If you get selected for the background, you review your paperwork and then you wait as they contact past employers, references, etc. It could take up to a year or more to go through that process. But we started it all over again because we didn't want to be out of a job. Then his agency would come back and say that his job was fine. For that year. What?! It was a crazy back and forth we were caught in. By the summer of year three, we decided we needed to stick out the hiring process with other agencies and see what would happen. We couldn't live with Jason's job hanging in the balance every year.
During all of this, Jason went to an oral board with Benton County. His attitude was almost nonchalant. He didn't think it would go anywhere, but he went anyway just to get the practice and see what it was like. We had heard great things about Benton County. The employees were happy. No one ever left because they were happy. It was a hard agency to get into because no one ever leaves. His oral board went great. He said he was so impressed with the members of the board and gave really great answers. Too bad they weren't hiring right away, right?! Weren't we surprised and excited when we got a call from them in the fall.!
From that initial interview until he was hired with them in February, we were in a state of excitement and disbelief. We wanted it to work out so badly, but couldn't believe that it actually was. We felt blessed and humbled that Heavenly Father was indeed directing our course and working things together for our good. We purchased a house through Aho on Providence Lane. It was completed at the start of the summer of 2011. We were on a month to month at our rental, so it worked out to leave there when we needed to. Members of our new ward came to help us unload the moving van. We were tired, but excited for this next step in our lives.
Shortly after moving, I came across this scripture from the Book of Mormon in my daily reading,
"And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly" (Jacob 2:13). That was so true for our family! I loved that we lived on Providence lane. That it could be a constant reminder to us that the hand of providence had brought us to this point in our lives. We weren't too small or insignificant. God was aware of us. He had smiled upon us most pleasingly. He loved us.
Now, fast forward three years to the summer of 2014 and our shooting. There was no way to know that something like would happen, let alone to plan for it. Before we knew it, we were on a roller coaster of emotions, pulling closer to one another as we waited for time to level out the ride. I came across a scripture in my daily reading in the Book of Mormon, one that I had found and drawn comfort from before.
"And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly" (Jacob 2:13). Once again tears came to my eyes and I thanked my Heavenly Father for smiling down upon us. Definitely in the instance of the shooting, we saw how his protective hand of providence had kept so many of us safe, especially my own husband and daughters. There were so many what if's that could have happened. I keep reminding myself of the words of the counselor that we saw - "The what if's didn't happen. So stop worrying about them." The Hand of Providence is on our side.
Thoughts on our neighborhood shooting--
It's time
to write my account of our neighborhood shooting; to tell a little of my story of the day
that would send us into a tail spin. A day when all time stopped.
I wasn't home when it occurred. Be that
good or bad, I know not. That is just how it was. I was headed to mutual, the
weekly Wednesday activity for the youth of our church. Jason had just gotten
home from work and changed into his comfortable shorts and t-shirt attire. I
had made homemade pizza and his meat lovers was just coming out of the oven.
"Don't forget the pizza!" I said to him as he followed me out to the
car to say goodbye. Lainey and Claire came out with us to ride their scooters/bikes
up and down the sidewalk. "We both know how you like cold food." I
teased. His eyes caught mine and we both
laughed.
Just as I climbed into the car to leave,
our neighbor Leo called to Jason from across the street. Leo was standing at
the curb by his car talking with our other neighbor, Rick, who was at the
doorway of his house on the corner. Jason and I both called back, thinking they were yelling
over to us in friendly, jovial greeting as they so often do. Jason waved and
smiled to me as I pulled into the street and he headed over to talk with our
neighbors. "See you hon. Love you." I could not have foretold the
events that would transpire in just the next 20 minutes that were set in motion
almost the instant that I left our driveway.
I
wasn't at mutual long before I heard that police cars were headed to our
neighborhood, to Providence Lane. I dismissed what I heard. "It can't be
Providence Lane." I stated defiantly and matter-of-factly. "I live on
Providence Lane. We know our neighbors and there isn't anyone who would do
something to warrant police involvement."
I withdrew my phone and called Jason,
fully expecting to have him reassure me that the police were headed another
direction. I didn't get much out of Jason once he answered, but it wasn't what
I expected. "Hey I can't talk. There's been a shooting. The kids are fine.
Love you." I felt some trepidation, but no real worry at this point. I
knew that whatever was happening, Jason would know what to do. I had no conceivable
idea at that point that Jason was so personally and directly involved. I went back
to helping the youth at the activity. Not ten minutes passed and Jason calls me
back. He states "I shot at Rick. What?! You need to come home to be with
the kids. Oh my
word! Can you drive yourself or do you need to have
someone drive you back?" I assured him I was fine, barely notified someone
that I had to go, and walked back out to the van.
I had a brief moment of overwhelming tears
once I got into the van. I took some fortifying and steadying breaths before I gripped
the steering wheel to drive home. So
many thoughts ran through my mind as I drove. What was wrong with Rick? What had Rick done to
warrant Jason shooting at him? Was anyone else hurt? Did Jason have time to get
the kids in the house? Did he have time to get to all of his gear? Thoughts of how I had last seen
Jason flashed through my mind. In my mind's eye I could see Jason as I had left
him when I drove away just 20 minutes ago. He was walking across the street, pausing
in the middle of the road to lift his hand in farewell, with a smile on his
face. His mouth seemed to form the words in slow motion as I replayed him
saying good bye. "See…you… hon…. Love…you." I feared for him in that
instant. He was so unprotected; so vulnerable in his off duty clothes without
his bullet proof vest and handgun. Our girls were outside playing and other
neighbors were in their yards. Others still were at the park. Jason was
supposed to be headed to a friendly meeting with our neighbors. What had gone
wrong?
...Emma made an air bubble. It was a big hit with all of the kids. Her fourth grade teacher made one of these for class last year and would allow the students to do their reading inside the bubble during the day. Emma used some painting plastic, taped it together and then attached it to the fan. They would turn the fan on and then lounge inside the bubble with their blankets and pillows.
...we worked more on our kitchen. We put the lower cupboard doors back on and painted the upper cupboards. It turned out so great! One of my kids caught this picture.
Uppers Before
Paint Booth
...we took the girls to Applebee's. The boys got to go spend the night at Grandma Zirker's and we had a gift card. Dinner outing here we come!
...Emma has learned to curl hair with a curling iron. Lainey let Emma do her hair. Emma even worked on mine as I was making dinner, interrupting me periodically to put another curler in or set another ringlet.
