Whirlwind

Casey Ryan O'Ferrell

Life has certainly been a whirlwind for me since I last wrote. I suppose I'll start with what happened on April 20, 2008. My mom recieved a phone call at 9:15 AM saying that my little 11 year-old cousin Casey had died in his sleep. This was absolutely the last thing I was expecting to hear about as I was getting ready to go to church. He was perfectly healthy, and no one was aware of any pre-existing condition.

My mom immediately left the house to take my Aunt Linda and Uncle Tommy (Casey's grandparents) along with my Mema up to Gainsville to get with the family. My dad and I packed and left soon after. Turns out Casey had bleeding in his brain (the cause is unknown) and died peacefully in his sleep around 3 or 4 in the morning. It's likely that no one could have seen that on a brain scan and there was absolutely nothing anyone could have done (even if he had been at a hospital) to save him.

My mom and I stayed up with the family and took care of the kids most of the week. We left on Tuesday to come home so I could go to school for Wednesday, and then left once again on Thursday to go the viewing. I totally appreciate the prayers that went out for me and my family. I was honestly hesistant about seeing Casey at the viewing, because I always wanted to remember him just like I had last seen him. As we were walking into the funeral home, an awesome peace came around me as I walked up to see Casey. I immediately became completely secure and peaceful about the fact that Casey is in heaven. It was great to have God's peace within me so that I could be there for the rest of my family. God always amazes me with his faithfulness, and did not dissapoint as many good things actually came out of this tragedy:

1. I got the know my cousins, Lauren and Amanda a whole lot better

2. God strengthened my dependence on Him

3. John (Casey's dad) has dealt with this surprisingly well and is letting this strengthn His walk with Christ

4. It brought lots of broken families together

5. I got to see my cousin Justin and talk to him about some of the life choices he's making

After the funeral on Friday, my dad took me to Grad Bash at Universal Studios in Orlando. It was a blast, and I may write more about that later. After a long night there, we came home at about 5:00 the the next morning only to pack and get ready to leave on Sunday for FBLA States. I had fun, won a $500 scholarship, and made some friends, but I am so glad to be home.

Cathy, Forrest (from Hello Goodbye, Me, and Anner)

I'll hopefully be home more to update this thing so I don't always have a super gigantic entry to do as I did this time. Oh, and one more announcement:

Wavorly, Nevertheless, Ruth, and Article One are coming to Carlson Memorial United Methodist Church in LaBelle, FL on June 16th! Be looking out for more details soon!

-Brit