One year ago today...

Feb 1st at 1:06am

Alaina Hamilton Beasley

went to be with her Sovereign Lord.

She left behind; a husband, who adored the very ground she walked on, a loving family, the Moores, who everyday miss the light she gave and was, in their life. As well as many, many friends who grieve for the lively joy she expressed in every part of her life.

I miss her smile, the joy in which she lived life. I miss her humor and cheerful banter! Her love for her husband would just fill you with delight. And then of course...the spunk, that little extra kick, that is so characteristic for a red-head. Her stubbornness matched no other...but neither did her humility to admit her fault when she was wrong.

And for those of you who never knew her...she was the perfect wife for my adventure-loving brother. She accompanied him on any excursion that entered his mind to go. Whether biking, hiking, basketball, a trip to the Caribbean, walking, running, dancing, sledding, skeet shooting, skiing...or as she put it "I don't care what I do as long as I'm with him."

Her very life screamed of her love for life, God and her husband.

And now...she is really living!

Worshipping the Love of her life...except this time...its face-to-face.

Her dreams have come true...in an unfathomable way!

But maybe you are just a blog stalker *smile* and don't know Josh or Alaina...and so are wondering what this is all about. Click here to read the newspaper article about the accident.

Also if you would like to leave a comment for Josh....I will copy them out and send them to him. Just be sure to put your name:) Thank you for ALL you prayers!!!

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15 (Alaina's favorite verse)

In Loving Memory

We wanted to do something special to remember Alaina...so on Feb 1st (the day she went to be with Jesus) and on Feb 6th (her birthday) we are going to wear green (her favorite color)!

She was a coffee lover so if you would like to you can join us in ordering her favorite Starbucks drink...Non-fat Iced Caramel Macchiato with whip cream and extra caramel (I think I got that right...if I didn't please let me know:).

Thank you!

Letter from Josh

I miss him...so much!

Josh sent us a letter with this letter enclosed to be read at Church for Thanksgiving...I thought that you all might enjoy it too!

Of the things that I am thankful for this year, the first and foremost is Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. The fact that He has conquered death means that our souls never die; only the physical body passes away. Because He rose from the dead, death is only a temporary separation. He is the great healer and He is in the business of resurrection and renewal. I am thankful that He, and He alone, not time or anything else, holds the keys to healing. I can say first hand with the apostle Paul, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, be it well few or hungry whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” I am thankful for this strength, and for the fact that he is the comforter of the down trodden and broken hearted.

I am also thankful for all the support, the prayers, books and visits that you and others have given me. You have been an immense encouragement to me, thank you. I sit here writing this alone in my cell. I struggle on every front. My cellmate is a pagan witch, I am locked up with 500 drug dealers, rapists, and other felons. But as Paul wrote, “I am dying yet I live; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing yet possessing everything.” “I am hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

In the last year I went from having everything I’d dreamed of and sharing it with the girl of my dreams to being in prison with nothing. And although my own strength failed long ago overwhelmed by unspeakable grief and unable to function, I am thankful for God’s strength and his love. Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else at all, will be able to separate us from the love of God.” Enjoy all the good food for me, hopefully I will be able to join you two years from now.

Joshua Beasley

Also, an excerpt from a letter sent to our family:

I had a hard time sleeping last night, I was thinking of last Thanksgiving. There was seemingly so much to be thankful for then; celebrating it for the first time with my new wife. Now I'm just 70335 in a holding tank of felons. I am comforted by the fact that Alaina's soul didn't die just her body, that death is just a temporary separation. But life seems like too long a time to wait. Anyway, I miss you all and wish I could celebrate with you. Hopefully the next two years will go by fast. I feel that I should be entitled to 3 times as much food, or at least dessert, the next time around for Thanksgiving. :-) What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

"And remember, that the love of God can not take us

where the grace of God can not keep us!"

An interesting move...

When moving Josh out of his apartment I was in charge of packing up the kitchen....what a special, but hard time!  Going through each 

drawer, and packing each item was a stretch for me as I realized that Alaina would never again measure out flour, or pour a glass of water.  As I looked at her treasured Starbucks Coffee mugs tears threatened to flow...but once again I was comforted by the fact that my Comforter was there with me, holding me in His strong arms, and reminded of the special friends that were praying specifically for me during this task.

Some of you may be wondering "why" Josh is moving or "where" he is going: )  He is planning (Lord willing) on attending Grace University this fall to get his bachelors degree in Aviation and as well as playing basketball with Joe.  One of Joe's buddy's parents from basketball owns a house a walkable distance away from Grace, and Josh is planning on renting there with him.

We had quite the experience getting to the house from Lincoln!  First we lost the tailgate off the end of the trailer (strange signals from a driver passing us let know that something was wrong) so we had to go all the way back, and retrace our steps to try to find it (which we never did).  But when we finally did arrive at the house we were excited to get everything unloaded... but another obstacle lay in our way.  John, the one who owns the house, was supposed to leave a key somewhere but, "mysteriously" disappeared so we were stuck, with a trailer and van full of stuff waiting outside a locked house: ) We did manage to finally get a hold of John and somehow got the key and proceeded with the process of unloading....

Finally done....*smile*

Packing wedding memories away....

Alaina's Life Verse

In the Valley

When you lead me to the valley of vision

I can see You in the heights

And though my humbling wouldn't be my decision

It's here Your glory shines so bright

So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown 

To be low is to be high

That the valley's where You make me more like Christ
Let me find You grace in the Valley

Le me find Your life in my death

Let me find Your joy in my sorrow

You wealth in my need

That You're near with every breath 

In the valley!

In the daytime there are stars in the heavens

But they only shine at night

And the deeper that I go into darkness

The more I see their radiant light

So let me learn that my losses are my gain

To be broken is to heal

That the valley's where Your power is revealed

Can it really be?

No.

It can't be.

It just can't be.

Someone I love is gone

and my life is shattered 

into a million pieces.

I want everything back

the way it used to be.

 God are you there?

Are you listening?

I want my loved one back.

I'm not ready

to let go.

-Author Unknown

I love you Alaina!

This was written on the back of Josh's truck...by Alaina.
What will we do without her?

Trust in Him at all times,
O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:8

Gift Opening

A little over a week after the wedding, fresh from their honeymoon and settling into their new apartment, Josh and Alaina hosted a gift opening at the Club House in their apart. complex.

Mr. & Mrs. Beasley: )

The enthusiastic audience...it was very exciting at the beginning but as the evening wore on....we lost the attention of some...

...but not everyone..
...especially not the bride and groom...

...but some of the older ones were getting distracted...with a good reason: )

Wedding

I don't have many pictures of the wedding...I sort of forgot to take pictures! But this will give you a glimpse!

All the cute shoes!

Getting ready! Only hours away from becoming Mrs. Beasley

Waiting cheerfully!

All ready to go!

Wedding/Rehersal dinner prep

Decorating, setting tables, cooking food, laughing with friends were all part of getting the Rehersal Dinner ready! We had such a wonderful group of helpers!

Setting the table

Fixing the "flowergirl wagon"

Marking tape for where the bridal party would stand during the ceremony

Precious moments with Elise

Grandma and Grandpa came all the way from Minnesota

Peeling 30lb's of potato's!

A big thank you to everyone who helped to make the occasion special!
I would say I will try to post wedding pictures tomorrow, but it is always best not to make promises.

Moving day for Josh

Josh moved into his new apartment Friday October 3rd.
After filling our 15 passenger van and the trailer he and Alaina drove out to Lincoln to get the key and open it up. We followed later to help unload. Josh got a job with Duncan Aviation, so now he's just waiting to get married and have Alaina move in...


Elise really wanted to come and see her Uncle's new house: ) Actually our cousin's Mike & Amanda's daugter Elsie was having her 3rd birthday party that day and since they live in Lincoln it all worked out nicely (I have pictures to post about that soon)

Unloading boxes..

Hauling the bed

Holding small cuteness: )

And relaxing after it's all done: )

Happy new House/Apartment Josh!
(or however you say it)