Leah Stirewalt

Out of Deep Waters

One Week Left to Live

by Leave a Comment

Seven days. One week. On this day, three years ago, my husband had one week left to live. And, we had no idea.

We were in the throes of parenting our four newly adopted children. We had just moved to a new town four months prior. We were literally still unpacking. We had new house projects still needing to be done. I was now the one commuting an hour to/from work each day (as we moved closer to my husband’s work). Life was very busy…but good.

ODW: One Week Left to Live

Would we have done anything differently if we had known how drastically life was about to change in one week? Probably so. I imagine we both would have taken the week off from work to have time to simply be together. More than likely, we would have taken a small family fun trip somewhere nearby. We would have eaten whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted…not worrying about counting calories or carbs. We would have spoken kinder words, not “sweated” the small stuff, allowed the kiddos to stay up later some of those nights, and simply put…we would have attempted to cherish each other for every second of those final days.

However, we didn’t have that opportunity. Or did we?

We always have the opportunity to cherish those we love most. Why does it take a tragedy, a grim diagnosis, or a life altering event to thrust us off our tushes and on to loving more deeply and completely? No…we can’t always take off days from work and go on getaways with our family. We can’t let our children stay up late every night. But, there are things we can do that express love more completely, allowing us to live life more fully.

  • Study your spouse or significant other. What makes him or her tick? What makes them smile? What do they love, and what do they hate? What can you do today to express that they truly matter to you, that speaks to the fact you intimately know them (or are at least trying to know them)?
  • What makes your son or daughter giggle? What do they most want from you? My guess is time. They simply want you to be present with them…playing a game, working a puzzle, etc.
  • Send flowers to a friend…just because.
  • Write an actual letter or mail a card…not the electronic version.
  • Use words to elevate a friend or loved one, especially one for whom “words of affirmation” are their love language.
  • Remember their “special days”. This may not always be obvious days – like a birthday or anniversary – but, what about the day their father or mother went to Heaven (knowing they might need a little extra dose of love on those death anniversaries), what about their kiddos’ birthdays, how about the day they began a life of sobriety, or what about the day they gave their life to Christ? I know you might be thinking, “I can’t even remember my own anniversary, let alone all these other dates.” It might take a little effort, but if you truly love someone and want to express that love more tangibly, you’ll find a way. Learn the dates and record them on a calendar (paper or digital or both). That’s all it takes.
  • Surprise your spouse with a weekend getaway or a romantic dinner out at a favorite restaurant.
  • Make your child’s favorite meal…just because.
  • Bake Christmas cookies in the middle of the summer and share them with loved ones, neighbors, your mail carrier, etc.
  • Practice doing random acts of kindness. For ideas, check out this post I wrote when I did this leading up to my 40th birthday.

These are just a few ideas, and there is certainly an infinite list we can pull from, but you get the idea. If you truly cherish someone…show that now, in the land of the living…before it’s too late. You never know when you’re living your last seven days. You never know when your spouse has one week left to live. Don’t wait. Live each day and treat each person as if this might be your/their last day on this earth. Can you imagine how much more love is expressed just by simply practicing this more often?

I’m not Carmen Sandiego, but where in the world have I been?

by 1 Comment

adventuresWhile I wish I could say I’ve been traveling to some of the amazing places Carmen Sandiego used to frequent all over the world, my adventures over the last few months have been far less geographic, in nature, and much more organic.

Adventure seems to be the common denominator in my life these days, and in all truth, for several years now. Being the thrill-seeker I am, I wish I could say I’ve been sky diving over Hawaii, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with dolphins in Key West, and rafting the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. But, to share those tales would simply be the start of my first fiction novel. My life adventures have been nothing short of prominent, but far more mundane to the average human.

I’ve had several wonderful things take place as of recently and some not so much. As I, once again, transition back to writing in this little oasis for my soul, let me briefly catch you up. The nerdy list-maker that I am will do so in just that way…

Leah’s First Half of 2019’s List of Life “Adventures”:

  1. We celebrated birthdays #22 (Anna), #8 (Ben), #5 (Austyn), and #11 (Josiah) all in the first half of the year.
  2. We remembered the second anniversary of Joel’s homegoing in February.
  3. I wrecked my minivan in February, and it’s drivable again thanks to the love of some amazing friends.
  4. We enjoyed Easter with the grands and their amazing parents (my bonus kiddos) and then extended the Easter celebration further by traveling to my mother-in-law’s home on Easter Sunday and spent it with my extended family.
  5. A straight-line wind storm tore through our property one night and destroyed the trampoline and swing set (minor in the grand scheme of things but still adventurous nonetheless).
  6. Austyn graduated from preschool! My baby heads to Kindergarten later this month.
  7. The “Great Flood of 2019” hit our county in early June and did unbelievable damage to many in our area. We had basement flooding and lots of yard damage, including losing ALL the mulch.
  8. Anna graduated from college in May and just began her career as a teacher earlier this month, teaching first grade!
  9. We celebrated Anna’s graduation with a long-planned-for trip to Disneyworld! Just the two of us.
  10. I experienced a new (and unprecedented for me) level of emotional stress that I’m currently learning how navigate more intentionally.
  11. I had my children home with me all summer, all day, everyday, for the first time EVER. That’s been a learning experience for me!
  12. We hosted one of my dearest friends and two of her daughters for a week in July. Lots of swimming and outdoor fun took place!
  13. I began doing contract social media management and editing for Mandy Roberson Media, and I absolutely LOVE working again…especially doing work that fuels me!
  14. We began attending a new church back in May and have really enjoyed connecting with this fantastic multi-cultural body of believers. And, most importantly…
  15. Josiah (my 11-year-old) gave his heart to Jesus and surrendered to His Lordship over his life. His amazing life adventure truly just began!

Those are just a few snippets of what’s been going on in my little world and what has kept me distracted from writing lately. As you can read, some of my recent life adventures have been wonderfully amazing but some of have been harder to endure. Either way…I march on (sometimes my march looks more like a crawl, if truth be told).

I have so many new posts already in the works, so I hope the days of long hiatuses from ODW are over. I also have a few other exciting things in the works here on the site, and I hope to unveil those sometime later this year. Thanks for continuing to read – even when the words have been few! Be blessed friends!