. . . opening the mail . . .

....each day, the mailbox contained (s) more mail than it ever has. Friends from all over send cards, condolences, love and money for the college fund for the girls, we are daily overwhelmed with the love & generosity from loved ones near and far! We also receive cards from those we really don't know, but whose lives Rick touched - most often someone whose home he worked on either as a "side job" or with Jim Raboin & my brother Tony. . . . so much kindness from so many people!

On Thursday, November 17, the mail came, as usual, but one envelope stood out, the return address read "LIONS EYE BANK OF WISCONSIN". Now, remember my initial thoughts on donation, my "surprise" YES to the nurse, and you may understand a bit of the "shock" I felt seeing that envelope. I assumed it was a nice form letter stating that they appreciated that we donated, the end. It wasn't. An actual reproduction of the letter follows:

November 14, 2011

To the Family of Rickey Rye

(our address)

Dear Family:

The Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin sends our deepest condolences for the loss of your loved one, Rickey. We appreciate your thoughtful decision at this time of sorrow and sincerely thank you for the generous and loving gesture.

Both corneas were transplanted and will help restore the sight of two individuals. The cornea is the clear surface at the front of the eye that acts as a "window" in allowing light to enter the eye. If the cornea becomes cloudy from disease, injury, infection or any other cause, vision can be dramatically reduced.

Your donation has brought about life-altering changes for the recipients and has allowed them to see clearly again. I hope this information provides you with at least a modest sense of comfort.

I would personally like to extend my deepest and heartfelt sympathy for your loss. Thank you again, for your kindness and generosity that enables the Gift of Sight to be passed on to those in need. If I can assist you or answer any question, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

(gentleman's name)

Executive Director

At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about this . . . but after a few moments, I read the letter to the girls, who all smiled shy smiles at me. . . .

after a bit of thought, I posted this thought about the process to my facebook wall:

thankful for another day filled with encouragement from family, friends and the community . . . thank you everyone for the hugs today - you have no idea how much support they offer! :) . . . we got a letter today that Rick's corneas had been transplanted, giving 2 people the gift of SIGHT! :) Praying that they will "see" the world through Rick's eyes - in a soft, kind, gentle, loving way, praying that if they don't already know HIM, that they will SEE Jesus through this gift! ♥

...you are so strong . . .

...that was a phrase that has been said to me over and over and over the past 2 weeks, I felt like I was being put on a pedestal that I didn't belong on, so I posted the following on my facebook page...

‎...so, I (and the girls) have been "complimented" on our "strength" these past 11 days, and I need to make a disclaimer . . . WE are NOT strong (we are weak), HE is strong! . . . 2 Corinthians 12:9 says: "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." This morning, I was re-reading one of my FAVORITE passages, Psalm 139, specifically verses 13 - 16: "13) For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14) I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15) My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16) Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." SPECIFICALLY verse 16, read it AGAIN, "YOUR EYES SAW MY UNFORMED SUBSTANCE; IN YOUR BOOK WERE WRITTEN, EVERY ONE OF THEM, THE DAYS THAT WERE FORMED FOR ME, WHEN AS YET THERE WAS NONE OF THEM." It says, IN YOUR BOOK WERE WRITTEN, EVERY ONE OF THEM, THE DAYS THAT WERE FORMED FOR ME. That tells me, Rick's life, my life, your life is in GOD's almighty hand! We may not understand the why's, but HE doesn't ask us to, HE just asks us to TRUST in His LOVE for us . . . the LOVE that was deep enough to send HIS ONLY SON to die so that we may LIVE - eternally!! :) So, please don't think us STRONG, please see GOD's STRENGTH manifesting itself in and through us. And KNOW that we know that we will have bad days and good days, but even in this new road that we are travelling, though unwanted by us, GOD is with us, he NEVER SLEEPS, Psalm 121:1-3 "1) I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2) My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3) He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber." HE did not slumber on November 5, and HE is not slumbering today . . . I WILL MAKE a CHOICE EACH DAY to trust in these truths . . . So please, those of you have been praying, keep on - it is upholding us and we truly covet those prayers! Those who don't "get it", please ask someone how you can KNOW that you KNOW that you KNOW when "every one of them, the days formed for you" comes to an end WHERE you will be going - for eternity (Rick DID!!)! :) That is my greatest prayer for every one of you, and I know it would be Rick's as well . . . PLEASE make sure you are there to have him greet you at the "pearly gates" when your time comes . . . . and we ALL now realize that that time can come with NO WARNING, and no second chances . . . thankfully Rick didn't need a second chance, he KNEW where he was headed and even if he COULD come back, after tasting Heaven's glory, he woudn't WANT to, no matter how much he loved us! ♥
I love each and every one of you who took the time to leave this, and ask you to please keep us in your prayers . . . for the days, weeks and months to come! Thank You! ♥

I do not understand the "strength" I have had, except to know that it HAS to be from the LORD, and I am thankful to HIM each and every minute of each and every day for extending his hand of grace and peace and mercy to me!!

so, now what????

...when all the "to-do" is over, what do you do then?

Nick, Ashley & the girls stayed with us throughout that first week and it is true that children are a BLESSING FROM THE LORD . . . those little girls kept us busy and pre-occupied - in every good sense of the word!

Once everyone "went home", the girls and I went to a friend's house for overnight - just to breathe some "fresh air" and see something beyond our home's "4-walls"! It was a good reprieve and we felt ready to come back home and start searching for our "new normal".

We went back to church on Sunday (11/13) and it was wonderful to be back with our loving church family. God has blessed us with a church that was there to carry us through and bear our burden with us! (though I mention "our" church, Country Bible, I would be amiss not to mention our parents church, Bethel Mission Covanant and two neighboring churches, Fellowship Bible and Central Baptist . . . each of these churches also serving us in love and showering us with God's blessings)!

Since Tuesday (11/15) was the first day of hunting season and there was no school, we decided we would wait until Wednesday (11/16) to return to work/school. This was another area where I could see God's hand orchestrating and knitting our lives into His plan . . . HE KNEW when he allowed me to take a position at the High School almost 6 years ago where the future was going to take us. He knew that it would be such a blessing at this "new" point in our lives for us to return to our "normal routine" together. I did not have to drop the girls off at school, or send them off on the bus and head in another direction for my job, I was able to go with them, to the place (and people) who were like our 2nd home!

November 16 came, and with it, the morning alarm, like so many days before. We got up, went through our morning routine, me with butterflies in my stomach like the first day of a new school year. The day went by fairly quickly and the love that we were (again) showered with was (again) just amazing! And the fact that even though in a public school, I was not afraid to share my faith in the fact that "yes, we are doing o.k. God is holding tight to us, and we are truly experiencing a "peace that passeth understanding", and though we DO grieve, it's NOT without hope, we KNOW where Rick is and that we WILL be reunited some day!"

Kajzi had made the 8th grade cheerleading team (she's in 7th grade) on November 4th, a fact that her Daddy was very proud of! The first game they were cheering at was on the 16th. Taya had J.V. Cheer practice that night and Tessa wanted to go to Youth Group . . . That was one of the hardest things for me - it was the first time we had all "gone in different directions" in 11 days, but I realized that I could not hold tight forever, so Kajz & I went up to the game, Gramma Milly brought Taya later and Tessa went home and then to Youth Group. And we all survived!! GOD IS GOOD! :)

. . . an attempt to say THANK YOU

The following is what we put in the local newspaper, though these mere words don't come close to expressing our love and gratitude to every single person who loved us, prayed for us and supported us through this "blur" of days . . .

To attempt to say THANK YOU to this community seems almost impossible! There are so many of you who have extended your love and support to Rick’s parents, his siblings, myself, our children & grandchildren and our extended family that it is more than I can comprehend.

We would like to thank the Mid-County Rescue Squad and Sheriff’s Department for your quick response and tender care. Thanks to the State Police, specifically Mike Borski for coming to all of us as you did. Thanks Laurie Haight for staying for with us in those initial minutes at the hospital. Thank you to the wonderful staff at BAMC, especially Dr. Stein and nurse Erin, your compassion will always be remembered. Thanks Pastor Buckley & Bobbi and Pastor John & Kathy – just for being there and never letting go of us, also to Pastor Buckley for the beautiful celebration of Rick’s life! Bev, Gary and Nathan Anderson, you are some special people. Your tenderness helped to ease the burden of the difficult days that laid before us.

To those of you who came to the hospital and were just “there” with us and to those who came to our homes and just stayed with us, brought food, quietly cleaned, answered phone calls and just showered us with love; each and every one of you was a blessing to us. Though we couldn’t always keep track of everyone who brought in food, or just jumped in and helped, it was such a blessing, and very appreciated! Thanks to everyone who came to the funeral home to celebrate Rick’s life. We didn’t really realize how loved he was throughout the community until Tuesday night. Also, A HUGE thanks to the families who went and finished up the job of getting Buck & Dodo’s firewood ready for them for the winter. For all these things, big or little, please consider yourself hugged and thanked.

Lastly, but certainly not least, we want to thank our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ for giving Rick to this earth (and us) for 55 years. Rick loved the Lord with all of his heart and that is why we can have peace in the midst of this storm, knowing that Rick is now safely home and in the arms of Jesus.

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

This is truly a wonderful community and we feel honored and humbled by your generosity.

Sheila Rye, for Rick Rye’s family

... so much to do . . . so much love extended . . .

...the next few days were filled with the "usual" preparations that must be made when someone has passed away . . . meet with the funeral director (Rick's former brother-in-law & his wife and one of my FAVORITE couples on the face of this earth), decide on a burial spot (this really can't be real, can it, I have to do THIS?) . . . thanks to the LORD and a WONDERFUL community of family, church family and friends, decisions were made and agreed upon quickly and easily. The "big" kids asked if they could go and choose items at the funeral home, and I was happy to let them take on this task . . . I fully TRUSTED their judgement, and this was something they needed to do for their Daddy. We agreed upon service times and at the suggestion of Rick's cousin, we decided to ask attendees at services wear either their camo clothing or Packer clothing - to honor Rick's memory and his love for life! After all, we were grieving for ourselves, but not for Rick - he was SAFE in the arms of Jesus! The visits, the phone calls, the food (!), the facebook messages, the texts, the cards . . . were overwhelming, we KNEW how much we loved Rick, but we saw quickly that he really was loved by so many and he truly did not have enemies! He touched many lives and taught us all how to live life to the fullest and to love unconditionally! I don't think we ever got a final count of visitors at the funeral home, but we figure it was well over 500 people! Words cannot describe the outpouring of love we felt from so many people! We wished for GOD to be honored through Rick's life and even his death, and I believe we did that during his memorial service. The service ended with the song, "When We All Get To Heaven", a fitting song, as that would be Rick's final wish . . . to see everyone who was there to bid him an earthly farewell when their time comes to bid this old world goodbye. . . .

days are a blur

.... from the moment we arrived at the hospital, life began to feel surreal, only 2 of my girls were with me, my "baby" girl was off with a friend for what was supposed to be a fun day at a Christian concert, Nick was with his family and Ashley with hers . . . the LORD provided us with just the support we needed, just when we needed it. DEAR friends who were able to find and connect with Kajzi and bring her home, Pastor & Bobbi who made many phone calls . . . and everyone else too numerous to mention . . . we were NEVER alone, and never felt outside of God's tender embrace.

I remember the nurse asking if I had any questions and I said something like, "is this a really bad dream?" and she replied, "the worst". She was tender and kind and I will forever be thankful for Nurse Erin and her tenderness!

She then asked if we had ever discussed organ donation . . . (I had always admired people who donated organs, thought what a wonderful gift it was, but always thought "no way", I'll never let them do that to someone I love), so when she asked, and I said no, we hadn't discussed it, she then asked, would you like to donate? Without hesitation, I said YES . . . then I think I actually looked around to see where the answer came from! I looked at the girls and said, you know, Auntie is waiting for a transplant, what do you think? Nurse Erin told us that we could not donate "organs" (heart, pancreas, etc . . . ) but tissue, corneas, and more that I can't remember. The girls said yes, and I told the nurse that if we could get ahold of at least one of the big kids to get their o.k., my answer was yes. When Bobbi finally talked to Nick, he answered yes as well, so the wheels were in motion . . . .

how it began . . . .

I'm going to try blogging again!!  This may more for myself than anyone else, but if you'd like to read, you are invited to come along for the ride.  I make no promises that it will be pretty and rosy and it might get a little messy! I do hope to dig deeper into God's purpose for life and for death.  For hurt and for heartache as I write.  Here we go!  It all started on Saturday, November 5, 2011.  For November in Upper Michigan, it was a beautiful, sunny day.  We were preparing to go to a family gathering at my Dad's hunting camp but, we never made it there. Instead we got the news that made me ask the precious nurse at the hospital, "Is this just a really bad dream", when she asked me if I had any questions. She responded with, "It's the worst nightmare".  I fully believe that God orchestrated each and every event of that day and "nurse Erin" was an angel sent to us by Him!

Following is Rickey's obituary that was published in our two local newspapers:

ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2011, RICKEY ROGER RYE ENTERED INTO THE PRESENCE OF HIS LORD AFTER A JOB SITE ACCIDENT. RICKEY WAS BORN TO ROGER (BUCK) AND DORIS (DODO) RYE ON AUGUST 18, 1956, THE 2^ND OF 6 CHILDREN.

RICK RESIDED IN WALLACE WITH HIS WIFE OF ALMOST 20 YEARS, SHEILA AND HIS 3 YOUNGEST DAUGHTERS TESSA JOY (17), TAYA JILL (14) AND KAJSA JO (12). RICK SPENT HIS LIFE WORKING WITH HIS HANDS, A TRADE HE LEARNED FROM HIS FATHER. RICK’S WIFE, THEIR 5 CHILDREN, THEIR SPOUSES AND HIS GRANDBABIES WERE HIS PRIDE AND JOY. RICK LOVED PLAYING CARDS WITH “THE GUYS”, SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS ENJOYING THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S NATURE AND SPENDING TIME IN HIS HUNTING STAND. HE ALSO LOVED THE GREEN BAY PACKERS. ABOVE ALL THIS, HE LOVED THE LORD HIS GOD WITH ALL HIS HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH, THIS KNOWLEDGE GIVING US PEACE BEYOND UNDERSTANDING THAT HE WAS IMMEDIATELY USHERED INTO THE THE PRESENCE OF OUR GLORIOUS LORD.

RICK IS SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE, SHEILA, CHILDREN NICKOLAS ROGER (ASHLEY MARIE), ASHLEY BETH (BRIAN LEE) TESSA JOY, TAYA JILL AND KAJSA JO. HE IS ALSO A PROUD PAPA TO PRESTEN DANIEL KRISTOPHER, DAILA MARIE SUNSHINE, MADELINE GRACE MARIE, TY JORDAN AND LILA FAITH MARIE. HE IS FURTHER SURVIVED BY HIS PARENTS ROGER (BUCK) AND DORIS (DODO) RYE, HIS IN-LAWS, GERALD (JERRY) AND MILDRED (MILLY) NEWLIN, SIBLINGS, LUANNE RYE, TIM (ROCHET) RYE, SCOTT (MARYANN) RYE, TODD (SHERRY) RYE AND JEFF (NORMA) RYE. HE ALSO LEAVES BEHIND MANY AUNTS, UNCLES, COUSINS, NEPHEWS AND NIECES, INCLUDING HIS GODCHILD KAITLYN RYE, GREAT NEPHEWS AND NIECES, AND FRIENDS TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION. EVERYONE WHO KNEW HIM LOVED HIM.

SERVICES WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011 BEGINNING AT 2:00 P.M. AT THE ANDERSON-DIEHM FUNERAL HOME IN STEPHENSON. A CELEBRATION OF RICK’S LIFE WILL BE HELD AT 6:00 P.M. AT THE FUNERAL HOME OFFICIATED BY PASTOR DAVID BUCKLEY. FRIENDS ARE ASKED TO WEAR THEIR GREEN BAY PACKER GEAR OR CAMOFLAUGE CLOTHING IN HONOR OF RICK’S LOVE FOR LIFE! BURIAL WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2011 IN THE MELLEN TOWNSHIP CEMEMTARY.

A MEMORIAL FUND HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR THE GIRLS COLLEGE EDUCATION.