Our Story: 12/01/2019

Monday, December 16, 2019

Precious Memories

It has now been 2 years since Greg has been gone. I didn't write a blog post on here on December 5th as I wasn't really sure what to write. I still miss Greg and I still think about him. I often wonder what he would do in a situation or how he would deal with an unhappy patient. He was always really good with difficult people. (He was married to me!) Anyway, the thing is, he is in heaven and isn't thinking about me, or you. That is probably not something many of us want to ponder. I am quite sure Greg is doing amazing things, but thinking about what I am doing or you are doing is not one of them. One thing I know is that Greg wanted our family to live each day for the glory of the Lord. He truly wanted us to serve the Lord with our whole hearts. So, that is truly what I have been trying to do.

I heard a message on Sunday by a really amazing pastor named, Mark Evans. It was titled, "Surprised by Joy." The message basically said that when Mary found out she was pregnant with Jesus she was shocked, surprised, and scared. Many of the people didn't believe that this was a child of God. I mean, it is hard to believe. Can you imagine how she felt? A young girl, pregnant, but a virgin, and having people talk about her and probably treated her like she was dirty. Poor Joseph wanted to believe her but it was hard. After Joseph was spoken to by an angel he began to believe too. Even though Joseph and Mary knew that this miracle was from God, it was still hard to accept. And the people had an even harder time accepting it.

Mark and I found ourselves in a similar situation when we were surprised by God. I wasn't looking for him nor was he looking for me. We both felt that God had brought us together. We knew from the very first meeting that God had big plans for us. And even though we knew it and we felt it, there have been many others who have had a hard time accepting it. And... we understand. We know it can't be easy for people to see us together, but we also know that God put us together and we are so very happy. He has taken our sadness and turned it into joy. He has truly brought beauty out of ashes.
I will never replace Leslie nor will Mark ever replace Greg, we are going to hold onto the verse that Greg circled in his Bible. Isaiah 43:19-20 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Today is a special day, a hard day, today marks the one year anniversary of Leslie's entrance into Heaven. Sometimes thinking about the anniversary of a loved one's passing is extremely painful. It seems as if on the anniversary of a person's death you just continue to relive all of the sad events that took place on that day. Well, I would like to take a moment to remember Leslie in a better light. Many of you who are reading this don't know much about her. Just like many of my new friends at Wolf Pond Baptist don't know much about Greg. But I feel it is my duty to bridge that gap. I want all of my friends and family to know about both of these important people. However, I don't want anyone to always be looking at the past and living in it. That is not at all what they would want us to do. They would want us to remember them with fondness and laugh at the good memories, but never would they want us to just live in the past. For today, I am going to focus on Leslie and what I have learned about her. We are going to celebrate her and remember her. Then, we are going to go and serve the Lord just like she would want us to!

This is what I have learned about Leslie as I fell in love with her husband and son. She was a very loving and kind wife and mother. She was feisty and independent and loved to laugh. She loved frogs, snowmen, Star Wars and the Biltmore Estate. She wasn't much for dressing up, she loved her comfy clothes! She always had her phone and loved to play Candy Crush. She loved the kids in Nicaragua and that became her passion. Chosen Children Ministries became the organization that made her heart beat. She loved her job at Myers Park Country Club and was an incredible organizer. She loved Mark and Eric and all of her family, but above all of these things, she loved Jesus! In her last days on earth it was apparent to all who knew her that she had a true peace and was ready to meet Jesus! Her question for all of you would be, "Are you ready?" Here are some of the photos I have found of her that I love, I hope you love them too.

Leslie Michelle Evans
May 14, 1973 - December 17, 2018