SENSATIONAL SELECTIONS IN MEMORY OF SETH VAN WIENEN

the above picture is the first family picture that we've taken since seth's death. so very bittersweet. i look at that picture and want to see seth's cheesy little grin. i can just picture him right behind abby - probably doing rabbit ears to andrew!!

we visited school last wednesday for jenison christian's open house. we arrived earlier than everyone so that we could see the library and what they've done over the summer. for those of you who don't know.....we set up a memorial fund in honor of seth - it's a fund that purchases books for the library at school. you see, seth LOVED reading - at least since last spring when we got him glasses. last summer he INHALED books. he read the entire harry potter series, the lord of the rings series, the hobbit, another series about dragons - in other words....we didn't see alot of seth last summer, he was always in his room reading!! he broke a record at school for the most accelerated points earned in the first quarter. we always wondered how many points he would have ended up with. they started a "seth van wienen reading award" to be given to one student per year that exemplifies the love of reading that seth did. so cool. one of his friends (matt werkman) was the first to receive it last spring.

at the school's auction last march monies were donated to give the library a face lift - and what a lift it is!!! they constructed a tree (the one we are sitting in front of in the above picture) that is just amazing. it includes all the books that were purchased with the memorial fund. the details to this tree are awesome! honestly, i lost it when i saw that they had scratched in seth's initials into the tree - he would have SO done that himself!! the amount of work that was put into this was unbelievable (we'll always remember you for this james!)

there's also this absolutely amazing mural that was painted that has so many levels of artistic themes that one has to stand and just look at it several times in order to see all that is included in this piece of artwork. included in it are moons and stars among many, many other things - we just absolutely love it!

we have been so well cared for by our extended school family. it overwhelms us at times the many, many people who have continued thinking and praying for us these last 10 months. this wonderful space at school is yet just another example of the love we feel from jcs. we're speechless..... God is so good - and He provides....even things that we didn't know we needed ourselves - like a space where we (and anyone) can go and just honor our boy . thank you jenison christian...for being God's arms when we need to be wrapped in His love! we will forever be grateful.