{"id":202,"date":"2024-01-05T15:42:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T15:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jameseunice23.com\/?p=202"},"modified":"2026-07-29T15:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:44:15","slug":"dec-30-2023-13-years-ago-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jameseunice23.com\/?p=202","title":{"rendered":"Dec 30, 2023 – 13 Years Ago Today"},"content":{"rendered":"
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13 years ago today we took a final picture as a physical family of 5 as we drove to the Valdosta Airport to put Lindsey on a plane to head back to Washington D.C. where she had been working since April. All was well in our little world. Everybody was thriving. Lindsey working, living and loving her new life in DC. Johnny had just completed his first semester of law school at UGA and James was about to begin his final semester at Valdosta High School. James would be graduating in May and heading off to the University Of Georgia in June-he hoped- to begin his freshman college experience and hopefully walk on to the Bulldog football team.<\/p>\n

John and I were processing what was next for us. We were so very proud of our three kids but didn\u2019t quite know what was around the corner for us.<\/p>\n

17 days later with a phone call saying, \u201cYou need to come to Ocean Pond\u2026James is missing\u201d-10 words- our world suddenly- abruptly shattered.<\/p>\n

I know I will never understand on this side of the veil why this had to be our plan\u2026Why it had to have the outcome that it did\u2026<\/p>\n

I realized very early though that I didn\u2019t have to understand it or like it but I could let God use this chapter of broken hearts and dreams to carry on a plan HE began in James. \u201cMinistry\u201d<\/p>\n

Rarely will we understand death especially in the life of a young person. But even without the understanding of why it happened I can still CHOOSE to trust God to bring good out of a plan honestly-I won\u2019t ever see as good!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve learned many lessons through the loss of James and I\u2019ve written about them. But one lesson I learned very early on is God\u2019s Timing is not my timing and there is nothing I can grasp so tightly that if God chooses to take it I can keep. But what I continue to ask Him as we close out the 13 th year and move swiftly into year 14 of this irreplaceable young man we love and miss so much is \u201cLord, Please give us purpose. Use us as YOU used James to build Your Kingdom.\u201d It was James\u2019 greatest desire. John and I told friends last night that James did the hard part. He actually stepped into broken lives all around him and showed them the love of Christ. We go forward sharing that message. His was one on one many times sharing hope. We get to step into groups and we do it with passion because it is what he would be doing now if he were physically here.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pondering and processing all this day means because this day like so many others was truly a gift from God to us 13 years ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

13 years ago today we took a final picture as a physical family of 5 as we drove to the Valdosta Airport to put Lindsey on a plane to head back to Washington D.C. where she had been working since April. All was well in our little world. Everybody was thriving. 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