Reflections on My Happy Family & 29 Years

Celebrating 29 years! Amazing!

Today Dawn and I are celebrating our 29th anniversary! We are in Phoenix, so it will be a first for us enjoying our anniversary here.
It’s possible that my anniversary has put me in a reflective mood, but I posted some thoughts about my family today on Facebook on the Hannah Diaso Memorial page. As I began to write the thoughts just kind of flowed, so I thought I would post them here as well. Let me know what you think 🤔.
First, I’d just like to thank my wife for these 29 years together. Especially the last two years have been so difficult, and when I think of it we’ve had about 5 years of what sometimes appeared to be ‘hell on earth’. Yet instead of all this turmoil, all this pain drawing us apart it has drawn together. The Lord has used my wife to help me to grow in my faith and in my love for Christ. She is passionate, zealous and bold which at times pushes me to uncomfortable places, but it’s kept me from becoming complacent. It’s caused my relationship with Jesus to flourish and we are experiencing things in ministry that we’ve never seen before. It’s super encouraging to see all the Lord is doing! She’s also an amazing mother to our three children. These are some of the reasons that I love and respect my loving wife, Dawn!
Here’s to 29 more years together or more if we live that long!

Reflections on My Happy Family!

I love this happy picture of my family. I have it on my iPad homepage, so I see it every day. Yet, today I realize that when my daughter moved to heaven this was taken from me.
I’ve always taken pride, hopefully a healthy pride, in my family. It made me feel good knowing that my family was healthy and happy. I’m reminded that in John 10:10 that the thief, the enemy of our soul comes to steal, kill and destroy.
It’s hard to put to words, but I feel that in my idea of a healthy and happy family has been taken from me. Even in some ways I feel disappointed as a father. Not necessarily that I’ve failed, actually the Lord has encouraged me various times through various means that I am a good father. Yet, this isn’t what I hoped for or envisioned for my family.
I believe my family is doing remarkably well despite the terrible loss that we’ve suffered. I’m surprised and amazed at the maturity David & Jonathan have displayed! I’m encouraged by their faith and strength in the Lord.
My marriage to my bride is also stronger than ever today as we celebrate 29 years together. It’s been hard very hard to walk through the valley of shadow of death, but we are doing it, and we are doing it together.
Part of the challenge of losing someone so near, so dear, so loved is that it shatters many dreams. It shatters many of the things that I hoped for. It’s a pain that doesn’t ever fully seem to leave, even though it does get better.
I’m not writing this from a place of deep sadness, although it does sadden me that I can’t see my daughter’s beautiful smile any more. I’m in a more pensive and reflective place today. And I’m reminded when I look at the picture of my family laughing and having fun together, I realize too that I no longer have that seemingly ideal family.
The Lord is comforting each of us as we continue on this journey. In many ways I feel like he has cared for us and blessed us beyond measure since Hannah moved to heaven. I feel like as the enemy meant this to harm us, but that God is using it for our good. He is drawing us closer and closer to him. He’s given us a better perspective on the fact that life is short, and we should be careful not to live in fear and not to live just to please others.
He’s caused me to realize the importance of running hard after the Lord, to grow to love him in a deeper and more profound way. To make our love and service of Christ our ultimate goal in life, even if it doesn’t fit with a conventional comfortable life.
I do give thanks and my family gives thanks for the myriad of friends and family who have prayed for us and encouraged us as we’ve been on this long and winding road.
We need the Lord so desperately, and we we are so grateful for those who love us and have expressed their love to us in so many ways! Thank you, dear friends! We do love and appreciate you.
In His Loving Grip, Dave for the family
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