Gesuschic

It seems as though lifetimes have passed since Rich went on to be with my Parents and the Lord. I almost forgot his birthday was right in the beginning of Summer, or that it was today. Ironically, he was on my mind all day yesterday. Until it hit me as to why. 
When my Ex Husband first left, my Pastor and Rich were the only people I had told. They both knew the history of our marital problems and I trusted their opinions and outside perspective. Rich had a way man…he could speak the truth to your heart even when it wasn’t what you wanted to hear, and you would receive it in nothing but love. Granted, a lot of us refused to take it that way sometimes, haha but it was always given in such.
I miss him.
Still, we all do. My kids and I. We speak of Rich so often. I’ll hear them talk to their friends about him.
Who he was, what he stood for.
I love so much that his legacy is STILL carrying on.
He would be so humbled.
There was a point I thought my ex husband and I could possibly reconcile. When I mentioned it to Rich, he never disagreed. He never tore my ex down in fact, he reached out to him on numerous occasions. Which is more, than people who Angel and I walked side by side in Ministry with for YEARS ever did. Rich was such an amazing man of God.
Our Moses.
Our Spiritual Father.
Our Teacher.
I’ll say it over and over to whoever will listen. Never again will there ever be a Rich Fout.
He looked at me, smiled. Held my hand in typical Godfather fashion when he knew what he was about to say could possibly shatter your world in a million pieces but you needed to hear it, haha
“Cheryl….just because one member leaves. It doesn’t mean the remaining members aren’t STILL a family. Know that. Teach it to your children.”
Rich already knew my marriage was over before I did. Or that I was ready to admit anyway. Yet, as the spiritual father he was, he chose to speak LIFE into my future. To prepare me for what I wasn’t ready to admit was about to happen.
Yesterday that conversation came back to life for me.
To some of you who know my current situation (I know, there’s always something), it may seem as though it’s all falling apart as usual for me. Most of the time you’d be right, haha But my two older children came in complete clutch for our family yesterday. The house was filled with friends, laughter, music…The grill was out and my plate was totally full in more ways than just one.
Our life isn’t together at all you guys. We seem to go through it more often than not but again, it all may appear to be crashing around me. Around my children. But last night I cried falling asleep because all I kept thinking was those words of the Godfather’s.
It came to pass for me. All at once, last night.
Whenever shit begins to hit the fan for us, one of my children will always always mention how “we still have each other mom, we’re still family.” Without ever knowing those words the Godfather spoke to me years ago…(sigh, for my own tears).
Crashing and burning to most would bring chaos and fear. But not to us. We come together. Bring what we can to our small unbalanced table of many different non-matching chairs, haha we turn up the music, light the grill, start laughing and make it through, as family…even still.