Seven Year Angelversary!

Spring  and Casey,

Although you both were called back Home
Far sooner than we liked,
We know Jesus still has a plan 
For you in our Earthly lives.

As our Guardian Angels
You aide us through this life,
To help us stay on the path
Which leads to Jesus' light.

So when we think about you
Yet can't see you by our sides,
We know you are still near to us
Though the veil may shield our eyes.

Protective arms of strength and guidance

Surround us in our daily lives,
For as an Angel you are now
Able to watch over us at all times!

Love,

Shane, Angie, Hayden, Hannah, Harrison, Hattie, Max, Tenley, and Payton 

This year (2021) in memory of Spring and Casey, our family would like to spread as much peace and Jesus' light that we can. All are welcome to join in!

John 14:27 (New Testament in the Bible)
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 8:12
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

May we remember Him (Jesus) every single day!

Six Year Angelversary

In the past we have written letters Heavenward to Spring and Casey. This year I have decided to send a letter from Heaven. I wrote it as follows:

Dearest Shane, Angie, Hayden, Hannah, Harry, Hattie, Max, T and Payton,

It has been six entire years since I was able to hold and snuggle you with my Earthly body of flesh and blood.  A body that allowed me to grow up in a family that loved and still entirely loves me.  I was able to grow from a baby to an adult.  I was able to marry my best friend in the House of the Lord and we were able to start a family of our own.  I was able to hold you in my arms and sweetly whisper to you how much love I will always have for you. 

Please don’t shed too many tears for me.  Although my mortal body endured all that it could, my Spirit body is still very much alive in Heaven!  You may think that Heaven is far away, but what you may not realize is that Heaven is all around you.  When you need me, I am there.  I have always been there.  When you feel a warm hug, but don’t see anyone, please know this is me and I love you much more than you may know! 

Conveyed with all my love,

your mom and wife Spring, and your dad and husband Casey

5 Year Angelversary!

You are NEVER Forgotten!  Spring and Casey we hope you are celebrating with us 💑  We are enjoying some of your favorite things, for you, and we are also spreading love by doing special things for those around us.  We love you and want to let you know that your memories will always be cherished by us 💟.

Four Year Angelversary

January 2018

Dear Spring and Casey,

            It has been four long years since we have held you in our arms.  We love and miss you ALL of the time!  We just wanted to write this letter and send it up to Heaven on your FOUR YEAR ANGELVERSARY.  We want you to know that we keep you in our thoughts and in our hearts every moment of every day.  We remember all of the incredible life experiences we shared.  We know that our love expanded through the good times and strengthened during the difficult ones.  We want you both to know that we took two fragile families…who will always love and miss you… and created one big family who has learned how to love and care for one another.  We grasp that there are ups and downs in life and are doing our utmost to cope with the immense pain we have felt since you returned to Heaven too soon for our liking.  We still don’t fully understand why you both were taken from this Earth so early in your lives, but we do have a testimony that we believe everything God does is for a greater purpose.  You were needed in Heaven and we are still needed on this Earth. 

            We want you to know that we love our big family and we are hoping to use the knowledge we have gained from everything we have endured to help someone else who may be going through or has gone through a similar tragedy.  We are still learning here and want you to know that although we miss you more than words will ever be able to convey, we know we will get to see you and be in your compassionate embrace in Heaven once again.

           

With all our love,

           

            Shane,

                        Angie,

                                    Hayden,

                                                Hannah,         

                                                            Harrison,

                                                                        Hattie,

                                                                                    Max,

                                                                                             Tenley &

                                                                                                         Payton

Spring Mommy and Casey Daddy look how much we have grown!

Our Missionaries

Our Basketball Player

Choir and Tumbling!

Karate!

Our Caboose!

Looking back over the last few years I am reminded of the song "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney.  I must have done a lot of blinking because all of a sudden we have 2 Angels already in Heaven and seven of the greatest kids ever!  We miss our Angels but treasure our wonderful family ❣❣❣

Three Year Angelversary

(drawn by our 8 year old Hattie)

    

  

     What is the definition of a family?  There are countless answers to this depending upon where and how you were raised and who took a part in your social growth.  However, what every true family has in common is that it is made up of the people who are most important in our lives.
     Our family is unique since it is a combination of two families brought together by the loss of a loved one.  Our beloved Spring and Casey both passed away due to cancer in January 2014.  Cancer is a difficult hardship to endure and they faithfully fought with everything they had.  While it was not easy, they endured it well and endured to the end of their given time on this Earth.  

     It has been three whole years since we have seen their smiles, heard their voices and exuberant laughter, grasped their hands and touched their radiant cheeks.  Three years is a long time...but never has one day gone by since then that we have not thought about how much we love and miss them.  It would take a lifetime to list all of their cherished qualities that are treasured and missed every second of every day.  However we will continue to always strive to engrave each and every one of them into our hearts every moment we are given.
     As every year on their Angelversarys' I reflect back upon everything our family has accomplished and how each member has grown.  As I visualize all of the monumental things, one in particular stands out that I would like to share.  In August 2016 Heavenly Father blessed our family with a new little one.  We lovingly refer to her as the "icing on our cake".  She has Mom, Dad and all of her siblings wrapped around her cute little finger.  When her adorable little cry is heard she has many of us tripping over one another to rush to her immediate assistance.  She was blessed with a sweet spirit and has brought our Family even closer together.  
     Even through all of the hard times our family is uniquely blessed to have our two Angels watching over us and a Family who loves and cares for one another.   Here's to another year and may we be blessed to gracefully endure any and all challenges that come our way.
     Spring and Casey we love and miss you immensely...but we want to let you know we are doing well with your help from above.  

Love, 
Your Family

Edited by my awesome sis, Celeste Silver Brown.

2 Year Angelversary

January 15, 2016 and January 19, 2016 marks the two year Angelversary for Spring Hubbard and Casey Wheeler.  The song below is one that Hayden, Hannah and their friends sang at our ring ceremony and dedicated to our angels, Spring and Casey.  We feel that it is a special song for our family and would like to share it with you.

Ring Ceremony Song

Spring and Casey will remain forever in our hearts and family.  After Shane and I were married, our then 3 year old daughter declared that she now has 2 Dads and 2 Moms.  I love that this phenomenal observation that is so difficult for us veterans of the world to understand was uttered by the lips of an innocent child.  She views all of us as one big family.  So simplistic... yet so genuinely true.  This is the pathway that God has unfolded before us to unite us as one loving family.

Dance with the Rain and Stars

Young and Guileless

Curls dancing in the breeze

Eyes bright and shining

Aglow with shimmering stars and dreams.

A solitary branch catches sandled toes,

Falling...

skinning new knees.

Dewdrop Tears glisten on freckled cherub cheeks.

Ma blesses it with whispered kisses 

Singing 

"It Rains a Day...But then God's Light will Shine Through"

Big Boy Brick shoves me down the playground steps.

Anger caught me unawares...

and 

I slugged him in the arm.

Ma shook her head,

Eyes twinkling with a humored sheen,

tapped me on the nose and said...

"It Always Rains...but you can choose the Downpour My Child"

Emotions torn asunder

Anger crackling like Thunder,

Plopped despondently on the weathered first stair...

Head in hands,

Rivulets trickling down a troubled blush.

Ma settled near

warm hand gentle on my knee...

"Please My Child...Don't let the Rain frighten away the Sun".

Charmed Eyes and Fresh Voices 

Fill Life with Light, 

Ice Skating, Snow Forts

and Dinner Dates with my Summer Sun

Ma smiles nearby... 

Eyes crinkling with Silent Delight.

No Rain to Be Seen.

Joy slips to Sorrow,

Heart Freezes...brittle, cold and dark.

Mississippi River current cascades 

from troubled lashed eyes.

Ma settles her arms around 

trembling with fear and grief...

"God...Please let the Rain Slow Down...Please let the Sunlight In".

Lightning flashes through the Deep Storm

Cutting through inconsolable Dusk...

Light shines through

with Golden Rays of Hope.  

Love, Friendship, and Blessed Family.

8 on Earth 

and 2 Radiant Stars above...

Shimmering Spirits guarding and protecting

their loved ones just below.

Ma looks beyond to Her Beloved Stars and to Heaven..

"Thank you God...for the Sunlight through the Rain."

-C.S.B.-

(a.k.a. my sis)

Casey Wheeler and Spring Hubbard we miss you every single day! We are blessed to still be able to feel your presence in our home and touching our lives.  We love you so much. <3 Happy 2 year Angelversary!!!

One Year Angelversary

January 15, 2015 and January 19, 2015 mark the one year Angelversary for Spring Day Hubbard and Casey Ryan Wheeler.  We can’t believe a year has already gone by since your Spirit left your body for the Spirit World.  We love and miss you so much!

My awesome sister-in-law, Britney, made quilts to give to each child to commemorate the one year Angelversary.  These are not your ordinary quilts!  They were made with pieces of Spring’s and Casey’s clothing.  When the kids are missing Spring or Casey, they are able to take the quilt and wrap it around them like they are getting a warm hug.  The kids absolutely LOVE these quilts!!! Thank you so much Britney for donating your time and ability in creating these quilts.  We appreciate how much love was put into each one. :)

To read more about these quilts visit www.customizedquilts.blogspot.com

The day I heard Kathy Wilson was getting a wig, because of her cancer treatments, I started growing my hair to donate in her name.  It has taken a while but I finally had enough hair to donate.  For the one year mark our little Rapunzel and I decided to donate our hair to cancer patients in loving memory of Kathy Wilson, Spring Hubbard and Casey Wheeler. 

                Kallee put together a 5K for Casey and Kathy (visit my June 2014 blog) and I thought it only fitting that she be the one to cut our hair.  Thank you so much Kallee!

Since the day they found Casey’s tumor I have been keeping a journal to share with Max and T when they get older.  They are so young and won’t remember a lot of what happened and I want to make sure I am able to share things with them when they get older.  There is a small portion of a journal entry I feel I need to share.

December 5, 2013 … a few weeks ago I was having a rough time and thought of the phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  I pondered this for a while and thought, Lord I am trying my best to make this lemonade.  I then thought yes I am still making lemonade, but it is a bit sour.  Lord I put my faith in thee and although sometimes my lemonade is sour, I will be more grateful when my lemonade is sweet.  It takes going through the bad days to fully enjoy and appreciate the good days when they are upon us. :)

The moral of the story is no matter what life throws at you, keep doing your very best.  The Lord knows we are going to make mistakes and he just asks us to do our best.  I believe that when our best is done he will provide someone to step in and help us where we are lagging. (I have learned that sometimes we need to be the one asking the other person for help! We need to listen to the Spirit to receive the help we need.)  So keep making your lemonade, no matter how sour it is….at least you are still moving forward!  We all have days when life gets us down and we don’t know what to do.  I have learned to recognize those days, as sometimes needed, and to be grateful for them along with our good days, because it does take living the sour days to recognize the sweet days.

Thanks to everyone for your kindness and love towards our family :)

Happy Angelversary Spring and Casey!  We love you :)