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Rick Cone Sr. Visitation & Funeral Service: August 2012

August 28, 2012 By sami

IMG 4515 300x200 Rick Cone Sr. Visitation & Funeral Service: August 2012

Even though the kids and I just arrived in Florida (and we’re still so grateful for all your prayers yesterday!), everyone’s been asking for details on the visitation and funeral service for Ricky’s dad, Rick Cone Sr. that will be taking place this week.

I want to be as clear and factual as possible for those of you purely seeking the information and not my emotions right now

Richard Allen Cone, Sr. passed away at 8:14 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012.

The visitation will be Wednesday, August 29 from 6-8pm at Treasure Coast Seawinds Funeral Home Chapel. Their address is 950 S.E. Monterey Road Stuart, FL 34994. Their phone number is (772) 287-1985.

The funeral, which will be a “Celebration of Life”, will take place on Thursday, August 30 at 11:07am (dad was always a little late ) at Hobe Sound Bible Church in Hobe Sound, FL. Their address is 11295 S.E. Gomez Ave, Hobe Sound, FL 33455.

The internment will be at Fernill Memorial Gardens following the service. They are located at 501 South Kanner Highway Stuart, FL 34994.

People have also been asking where they can send condolences for Ricky and his family; Ricky and his siblings will be staying with their mom, Anita, at her house (8865 SE Bahama Circle Hobe Sound, FL 33455). If you would like more information about the services or would like to leave a virtual note, you can do so at this online Book of Memories. I know the Cone family would be grateful for your support this week.

IMG 4472 300x224 Rick Cone Sr. Visitation & Funeral Service: August 2012

Read the whole story about Dad Cone’s journey from the beginning…

Filed Under: Dad Cone, My Story Tagged With: august, cone, dad, Dad Cone, Family, florida, funeral, home, pray, Rick, sr, visitation

Felt Prayers

August 27, 2012 By sami

The kids & I at our first rest stop of the day!

Have you ever been able to feel when someone is praying for you? You ever wished you could sense some prayers more than you do?

Or perhaps the better question is, do you feel like your prayers make an actual difference in the life of the person you’re praying for?

All these questions went through my mind just a couple days ago as my husband was spending the final days with his dad in Florida and I was home with the kids. I was feeling very helpless being away from him and all he asked for was my prayers

Driving past the iconic Varsity restaurant in Atlanta

I’ve never considered praying as one of my spiritual gifts; I often wonder whether my prayers actually make a difference in the life of the person I’m praying for. Of course I believe in the power of prayer, but as a realist, it’s very hard to convince myself that there is a tangible effect.

But when it came time for me to drive 13 hours by myself with my two kids after getting barely any sleep the night before after learning about my father-in-law passing, it was the single, solitary thing that I needed: prayers.

I have to admit I was barely able to stay awake for the first two hours. I was literally slapping my face in order to be aware of the road in front of me.

But then one call came in, and then another, and then another. And then text messages and tweets and Facebook updates. Literally dozens of people praying, encouraging me, and lifting me up in a way I have never experienced to this day.

We met Jeremy at the GA/FL border as he headed north & we headed South!

The trip turned around for me from that point forward. I can honestly say I felt better at the end of the 13 hours than I did on any other trip I’ve ever done in the car.

And let’s not mention that I was one of the only few cars driving southbound in Florida into Hurricane Isaac and I hardly experienced any rain at all on my drive!

No fatigue, no rain, no traffic. What do I attribute it to? Prayer.

Kariss was my social media maven, helping me with photos & text updates!

I can only hope you will experience the same feeling of prayer that I felt today. To those of you who literally lifted me up beyond the strength that I could’ve forged on my own, I can only say thank you. I cannot express how much I felt your prayers and appreciate you taking time out of your lives to pray for me and my family.

If I can ever reciprocate and be a part of creating the same experience for you, please do not hesitate to ask!

The kids and I did arrive safely in Florida almost 13 hours to the dot from when we left Nashville (plus add an hour for the time change

I just found out that dad’s visitation will be Wednesday night and the service will be Thursday am; of course I will pass along all the details to you as soon as I find them out.

God bless you all!

God's promise at the end of our trip - a rainbow!

Filed Under: My Story, Prayer Tagged With: cone, dad, Dad Cone, drive, felt, florida, hurricane, isaac, pray, prayer

The Birthdays of July 26

July 26, 2012 By sami

20120725 212956 The Birthdays of July 26

July 26 is very special to our family because there are actually 3 of our family members with the same birthday! Our July 26 birthdays are:
*My daughter, Kariss (who turns 8 today)
*My father in law, Rick Sr. (who you may know from this blog as “Dad Cone” if you’ve been following his health journey after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor this summer)
*Ricky’s Uncle David (his mom’s brother)

Kind of crazy, isn’t it?

It’s interesting because when it comes to Kariss’ birthday, I feel like we’ve already celebrated it (She had a McKenna American Girl birthday party earlier this month), but we still want to do something special for her today. Yet when we asked her what she wanted to do or where she wanted to eat, she kept drawing a blank.

Doesn’t that seem odd for a kid when given carte blanche to do whatever they want?

After more prodding, we finally got something: She wanted to stay home. She wanted to play. She wanted us.

I wrote a post earlier this year on how the best present for our kids is our presence. Although we love being a family on the go, I guess we may have been gone a little too much this summer. We moved into a new house at the end of May and between travel, work and family issues, it seems like we’ve hardly been here!

So we’re getting back to basics today, shutting down the electronics and playing some serious games of tickle monster, monsters in the bushes, spy, gymnastics and whatever creative games her 8 year old brain comes up with.

Oh, and I think she want’s some Sweet Cece’s too

So please join me in wishing my baby girl the happiest birthday an 8 year old could ever have!

*On a side note, if you’re wondering why I haven’t posted on Dad Cone in awhile, it’s for two reasons: 1. there hasn’t been a lot of change in his condition and 2. it’s not exactly my story to tell. While I wanted to have a concise way to share about his story in a way I relate best (writing) so the most people could be praying, I’ve also come upon a little backlash for it. Realizing it’s not my life, I’ve decided to not write about the details of his days for awhile. PLEASE, continue to pray and should there be any major developments, I promise to pass the facts along. Thanks for understanding xoxo

Filed Under: Dad Cone, Family, Kariss, My Story Tagged With: 26, birthday, Dad Cone, gift, july, kariss, present, Rick, Uncle David

Pour Out Your Problems

June 18, 2012 By sami

In times of trouble, it’s natural to pray…but do you pour out your problems to the Lord?

We have certainly been doing our fair share of praying over the past week since my father in law has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Yet in my effort to feel like I’m the one who has to keep things together for our family, I can’t honestly say that I’ve poured out my problems to my Heavenly Father.

This was brought to my attention this morning as I was reading through my Daily Walk Bible, and the introduction to Psalm 102 described the Psalm in this way:
A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord.

I actually haven’t read this particular Bible in awhile (moving hides things from you!), and I was equally taken aback with the overview for today, the day I happened to find it again, prefacing Psalms 98-103:

Perhaps no other six psalm picture God’s praiseworthy character as graphically as the ones in today’s reading. God in his righteousness (Psalm 98), in his exalted place of authority (99), and in his everlasting mercy (100) demands and deserves admiration and adoration by his people. In view of God’s character, the psalmist pledges his obedience (101), expresses his dependence (102) and acknowledges his gratitude for God’s rich blessings (103).

In fact, Psalm 102 begins like this:

Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea!
Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress.
Bend down your ear and answer me quickly when I call to you…My hear is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite…

My translation:
Our prayers don’t have to be pretty. God wants us to be honest. He feels our heart.

This brings to mind another favorite verse of mind that echoes my translation, 1 Peter 5:7:
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you…

Bottom line is this: don’t hold back from God.

When you hurt, He hurts. To the disbelief of some, it is possible to be sorrow-filled and still be spiritual. The difference lies in where you take that sorrow…

I think the degree of your “groanings” all depends on the depth of your anguish. That’s not to say that the Lord only answers the prayers of the pitiful, but rather, we become closer to God when we are utterly and completely honest with him in our prayer life.

So the next time you find yourself in a deep valley, “like an owl in the dessert” or ”lonely as a solitary bird on the roof” (Psalm 102:6 & 7), pour our your problems before the Lord and don’t hold back! Our merciful, righteous and powerful God will meet you exactly where you are and bring you to where you need to be.